The Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing Has a New Address
As you may be aware if you have visited our website or contacted the commission recently, our offices have moved to 1100 N. Eutaw St., Baltimore, MD 21201. Please make note of our new address for all future mailing needs. Our phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same, as will our website address and social media accounts.
Virtual Appointments Now Available
Our office has developed new remote ways to support our clients with our new virtual appointment form located on our website where clients needing assistance can request a virtual appointment with our staff. These appointments are available Monday through Friday with start times ranging from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and are hosted using Google Meet.
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Computer Users:
- A Google or Gmail account is not required to join the meeting on a computer. Simply click on the meeting link in your email and join the meeting.
Mobile Device Users:
- A Google or Gmail account is required to use the video call function for your appointment. Once logged in, you will be able to join the meeting.
If you need to visit our office in-person to review or deliver documents, our building is still open and available by appointment only. You can schedule an appointment at our new building online. If you need additional or immediate assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us; we remain dedicated to servicing all of our clients and are here to assist via phone and e-mail in addition to our new virtual platform.
STAFFING UPDATES
New Executive Director - Christopher E. Dorsey
As of October 6, 2021, Christopher E. Dorsey has been appointed as the new Executive Director of the Maryland Board of Individual Tax Preparers. He began working for the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing in July of 2018. Before being assuming the role of Executive Director, he served as the Assistant Executive Director for the Board. The Boards of Public Accountancy and Foresters as well as the the Secondhand Precious Metals Objects Dealers and Pawnbrokers Licensing program will also be under his leadership.
New Board Specialist - Michelle Roberts
As of February 15, 2022, Michelle Roberts has assumed the position of Board Specialist for the Board of Individual Tax Preparers. She has been working with the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing since November of 1999, most recently as Administrative Specialist for the Maryland Board of Public Accountancy. She will also be overseeing the Board of Foresters as well as the Secondhand Precious Metals Objects Dealers and Pawnbrokers Licensing program.
Protecting Your Clients' Privacy and Your Own
The partners of the IRS's Security Summit recently conducted a special summer education program that provided guidance for tax professionals on how they can protect clients and themselves from becoming victims of tax-fraud scams and identity theft. The the IRS and Security Summit provided the following advice for tax professionals:
- Use a virtual private network or VPN to securely conduct all business with clients.
- Online business/commerce and banking should only be done while using a secure browser connection -never at a coffee shop, restaurant or other business offering 'free wifi.'
- Be cautious of email attachments and web links. Do not open a link or attachment that arrives unexpectedly. Always call the sender to confirm receipt and validity of any unexpected links or attachments before opening.
- Use separate personal and business computers, mobile devices and email accounts. This is particularly important for those who may share hardware with other family members, especially children, who may not be aware of safety protocols.
- Do not send sensitive business information to personal email devices. Do not conduct business, including online business banking, on a personal computer or device. Likewise, do not engage in web surfing, gaming or video downloading on business computers or devices.
- Do not share USB drives or external hard drives between personal and business computers or devices. Never connect an unknown/untrusted piece of hardware into the system or network. Also do not insert any unknown CD/DVD or USB drive. Disable the "Autorun" feature for USB ports and optical drives on business computers to help prevent malicious programs from being installed.
- Be careful with downloads. Do not download software from an unknown web page. Always exercise caution with freeware or shareware.
- Use strong passwords. Never give out usernames or passwords to others. Strong passwords consist of a random sequence of letters to include upper and lower-case, numbers and special characters. Ideally, passwords should be at least 12 characters long. For systems or applications that have sensitive information, use multiple forms of identification (multifactor or dual-factor authentication).
- Change default passwords. Many devices come with default administrative passwords. Change them immediately and regularly thereafter. Default passwords are easily found or known by hackers.
- Change passwords often. Every three months is recommended. Consider using a password management application to store passwords. Passwords to devices and applications that contain business information should not be reused.
To read the full news release about the summit and find more resources regarding security, identity theft, and tax-fraud scams, visit the webpage of the Security Summit's "Protect Your Clients; Protect Yourself" campaign.
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