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| Online Cyber Criminals are a very real enemy for online taxes |
Taken from a previous article: http://onlinetaxprofessionals.blogspot.com/2012/01/tax-scams-and-consumer-alerts-from-irs.html
In the animal kingdom, the weak are preyed upon by the strong. Lions eat the gazelles and life goes on. Unfortunately this also applies to our own society. In our weakened economy, people are far less likely to find the owner of an envelope full of one hundred dollar bills if they found it on the ground. If the opportunity presents itself, not every human being will do the right thing.
Those people are also the reason we are plagued with scams and other forms of misrepresentation that cheat other people out of their hard-earned money and possessions. This also rings true for taxes, and the IRS has released a great deal of information to not only educate yourselves on what to watch out for, but to also alert their consumers of the growing trend of identity theft and other ways to unlawfully procure your assets.
Full article can be read here
Full list of the Dirty Dozen Tax Scams for 2012 can be read here
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| Cyber Criminals not only threaten online tax preparation, but bank information as well |
Cyber Criminals:
Tax scams are only part of the problem. The real problem is the conductors of these scams, the "ring leaders" of cyber crime. These hackers and other less than reputable people have only begun to be discovered, and the full extent of how long they've been running these operations or how much they've taken will probably never be found out. The reason is because these criminals can easily get into sensitive records and have access to not only people who are alive, but even dead people are being harnessed for their social security numbers and bank information. Below are a few examples of cyber crime, and unfortunately this is only a small scratch on the surface compared to what is most certainly is an epidemic sweeping the internet.
Taken from an article: "IRS Flags Almost 2 Million Tax Returns in Anti-Fraud Efforts"(article link)
"Criminals receive identifying information from a variety of sources, according to Miller’s testimony. He cited the case of an Alabama woman, sentenced to prison, who obtained information about student-loan borrowers from her former employer and then filed false tax returns. Some prisoners also file fake tax returns and claim refundable tax credits, Miller said.
“We see thefts from schools,” he said. “We see thefts from hospitals, doctor’s offices.”
Nelson has introduced legislation that would impose tougher penalties and make it harder to gain access to the Social Security numbers of people who have died.
Quoted from: "FBI warns of new banking scam"(article link)
"In a new warning, the Federal Bureau of Investigation warns account holders of a new spam email scheme that involves a type of malware called "Gameover." The scheme involves fake emails from the National Automated Clearing House Association, the Federal Reserve or the FDIC. These messages attempt to trick recipients into clicking on a link to resolve some type of issue with their accounts or a recent ACH transaction. Once you click on the link, Gameover takes over your computer, and thieves can steal usernames, passwords and your money.
The FBI also warns the thieves' hacking capabilities can navigate around common user authentication methods banks use to verify your identity, which is certainly a cause for concern. Those additional authentication steps -- often personal questions, birth dates or other pieces of private information -- are meant to provide some extra security padding.
“We see thefts from schools,” he said. “We see thefts from hospitals, doctor’s offices.”
Nelson has introduced legislation that would impose tougher penalties and make it harder to gain access to the Social Security numbers of people who have died.
Quoted from: "FBI warns of new banking scam"(article link)
"In a new warning, the Federal Bureau of Investigation warns account holders of a new spam email scheme that involves a type of malware called "Gameover." The scheme involves fake emails from the National Automated Clearing House Association, the Federal Reserve or the FDIC. These messages attempt to trick recipients into clicking on a link to resolve some type of issue with their accounts or a recent ACH transaction. Once you click on the link, Gameover takes over your computer, and thieves can steal usernames, passwords and your money.
The FBI also warns the thieves' hacking capabilities can navigate around common user authentication methods banks use to verify your identity, which is certainly a cause for concern. Those additional authentication steps -- often personal questions, birth dates or other pieces of private information -- are meant to provide some extra security padding.
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