IRS warns of tax scammers posing as new clients
January 11, 2024
By Michael Cohn
The Internal Revenue Service is cautioning tax professionals to beware of an uptick it's already starting to see this year in cybercriminals pretending to be new tax clients as a way to scam tax pros.
The IRS and its private sector and public sector partners in the Security Summit have seen such scams before, but on Tuesday it said it's seen new reports of "new client" scams. Usually, such scams peak during tax season. But with the 2024 tax season set to open on Jan. 29, fraudsters are impersonating real taxpayers seeking help with their taxes, using emails to try obtaining sensitive information or gain access to tax professionals' client data.
"These intricate email scams pose a real risk to tax professionals and the taxpayers they represent," said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel in a statement Tuesday. "Cybercriminals try to capitalize on tax season by masquerading as real taxpayers looking for help. What they really want to do is help themselves to the sensitive client data of tax professionals. We urge tax professionals and their employees to be extra cautious when receiving unexpected email solicitations and avoid clicking on links or opening attachments."