In recent years, there has been an uptick of W-2 phishing scams, and their consequences for an employer extend well beyond leaked data, including potential employee class action litigation. Just last week, a federal court in...more
Tax identity theft continues to be a significant problem for taxpayers. Tax identity theft occurs when criminals use the personal information of individuals and file fraudulent tax returns before the taxpayer does, requesting...more
In another round of warnings from the federal government on protecting yourself from tax return fraud and identity theft, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued its 2019 “Dirty Dozen” Campaign, designed to warn...more
Last week was National Consumer Protection Week. In celebration of that, this post is devoted to protection from tax identity theft. ...more
As tax season winds on, the W-2 form scam has emerged as one of the most dangerous and common phishing email schemes during this time of year....more
Phishing. Spoofing. - These words may sound silly, but for employers, they are anything but. Phishing is the attempt to obtain sensitive electronic information—such as usernames, passwords, or financial...more
In a recent Public Service Announcement dated February 21, 2018 entitled “Increase in W-2 Phishing Campaigns,” the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) issued another alert about an increase in phishing campaigns since the...more
It is tax season once again, and with it comes an increased threat of phishing scams targeting human resources and payroll personnel. In 2016, the IRS alerted employers to a then-emerging email phishing scheme in which...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: Employers have been scammed into sending sensitive W-2 information to malicious third parties. This article outlines the key steps California employers must immediately take if subject to this unfortunate...more
The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), along with state tax agencies and the tax industry, recently issued a warning to employers about increasingly prevalent “phishing” email scams targeting the W-2 tax form information of...more
Tax returns and W-2s are information rich documents. Among other things they contain the name and Social Security Number of an employee, as well as information concerning their salary and address, and personal behavior and...more
Tax season is here, which means tax fraud season is here, too. This year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is warning tax practitioners about a new phishing scam targeted at them and reminding all employers about...more
January 29 was the first day that tax returns could be filed for tax year 2017. The IRS expects approximately 90% of returns this year to be filed electronically, and overall 70% of taxpayers should receive a tax refund,...more
Employers beware: Companies are experiencing a wave of phishing scams that target employee paychecks. Here is the scenario: An employee receives from a company email account e-mail that mimics a familiar and trusted company...more
With a new tax season approaching, companies should be vigilant in guarding against criminals attempting to obtain sensitive information through a variety of scams. Last month, the IRS issued an alert warning consumers of an...more
As employers prepare to send employees their W-2s for last year by the end of the month, cybercriminals are preparing phishing emails under the guise of company executives requesting personal information on employees. The IRS...more
It’s the start of tax season, and many employers are sending W-2 forms to employees so they can get ready to file their tax returns. As was true over the past few years, this is not only the busy season for tax preparers,...more
Now is the Busy Season for Cyber Criminals Posing as Executives to Obtain W-2s - It’s the start of tax season, and many employers are sending W-2 forms to employees so they can get ready to file their tax returns. As was...more
A data breach occurs in which an outside individual obtains your company’s employees’ W-2 forms including social security numbers, addresses, and salary information. As a result, your company notifies all affected employees,...more
While it may be better known as “Cyber Monday”, today also marks the start of the second annual National Tax Security Awareness Week (November 27 to December 1). The Internal Revenue Service, state tax agencies and the tax...more
With new and sophisticated schemes perpetrated by hackers and scammers, and sensitive personal information becoming increasingly accessible to numerous insiders, it is only a matter of time before most employers will be...more
A dangerous email scam currently is circulating nationwide and targeting employers, including tax exempt entities, universities and schools, government and private-sector businesses. The scammer poses as an internal executive...more
HR and payroll professionals nationwide have been, and will continue to be, targeted with e-mails apparently sent by a senior executive but actually sent by scammers who ask for a prompt reply with the 2016 W-2s for all of...more
Tax season can be a trying time of the year for any employer, but even more so now. As HR Departments across the country are working hard to distribute W-2 forms to employees, cybercriminals are using increasingly...more
Every January 31, employers scramble to meet the deadline for mailing W-2 forms to their employees. This year, a new iteration of an old W-2 phishing scam surfaced immediately thereafter....more