Issue Number: 2017-7
Inside This Issue
- Avoid the Rush: Online Options Help You Avoid Presidents Day Rush
- Security Summit Alert: New Scam Aims to “Unlock” Tax Pro Software Accounts
- ACA Silent Returns and the Current Tax Filing Season
- Don’t Fall Prey to the Dirty Dozen
- Protect Your Clients, Protect Yourself
1. Avoid the Rush: Online Options Help You Avoid Presidents Day Rush
The Presidents Day holiday period marks the peak demand for IRS toll-free telephone and office services. The IRS receives thousands of telephone calls per hour. But the vast majority of people calling or seeking appointments at Taxpayer Assistance Centers can find their answers faster on IRS.gov. Here are some ways to avoid the rush.
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2. Security Summit Alert: New Scam Aims to “Unlock” Tax Pro Software Accounts
The Internal Revenue Service, state tax agencies and the tax industry today warned tax professionals to be alert to a new phishing email scam impersonating software providers.
The scam email comes with the subject line, “Access Locked.” It tells recipients that access to their tax prep software accounts has been “suspended due to errors in your security details.” The scam email asks the tax professional to address the issue by using an “unlock” link provided in the email.
However, the link will take the tax professional to a fake web page, where they are asked to enter their user name and password. Instead of unlocking accounts, the tax professionals actually are inadvertently providing their information to cybercriminals who use the stolen credentials to access the preparers’ accounts and to steal client information.
The Security Summit partners remind tax professionals to never open a link or an attachment from a suspicious email. These scams can increase during the tax season.
For tax professionals who receive emails purportedly from their tax software providers suggesting their accounts have been suspended, they should send those scam emails to their tax software provider. For Windows users, please this process to help the investigation of these scam emails:
- Use “Save As” to save the scam. Under “save as type” in the drop down menu, select “plain text” and save to your desk top. Do not click on any links
- Open a new email and attach this saved email as a file
- Send your new email containing the attachment your tax software provider, as well as copy Phishing@IRS.gov.
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3. ACA Silent Returns and the Current Tax Filing Season
A recent executive order directed federal agencies to exercise authority and discretion available to them to reduce potential burden regarding the Affordable Care Act. Consistent with that, the IRS has decided to make changes that will continue to allow electronic and paper 1040 returns to be accepted for processing in instances where a taxpayer doesn’t indicate their health insurance coverage status. However, legislative provisions of the ACA law are still in force until changed by Congress, and taxpayers remain required to follow the law and pay what they may owe. Keep up-to-date on the latest ACA news by visiting our ACA Information Center for Tax Professionals page.
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4. IRS Summarizes "Dirty Dozen" List of Tax Scams for 2017
The Internal Revenue Service this week concluded its annual "Dirty Dozen" list of tax scams. The annual list highlights various schemes that taxpayers may encounter throughout the year, many of which peak during tax-filing season. Taxpayers need to guard against ploys to steal their personal information, scam them out of money or talk them into engaging in questionable behavior with their taxes.
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5. Protect Your Clients, Protect Yourself
Tax practitioners who missed the IRS webinar, “Protect your Clients, Protect Yourself from Data Theft,” can now view it anytime on demand. In the broadcast, IRS and private sector experts discuss client data safeguards, legal requirements and best practices involving the handling of taxpayer data and tips for responding to a loss of taxpayer data.
Visit the Protect Your Clients, Protect Yourself page on IRS.gov for more information on identity theft scams targeting the tax professional community. The page includes links to publications such as Safeguarding Taxpayer Data, security alerts and educational videos.
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