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By Byron Acohido
www.cbsnews.com
April 13, 2010
A wave of tax-related cyberscams is hitting the Internet.
With the federal tax-filing deadline looming, spam enticing Internet users to fill
out bogus forms at faked IRS websites is flooding inboxes. And slick Web page
promotions for overnight tax-preparation services and instant refunds are turning up
in Google search results and Twitter micro-blog postings.
Be wary, the IRS and tech security experts say. The Web is littered with scams to
get you to divulge sensitive information, such as your Social Security number and
online account logons. The data are then used in identity theft scams.
TECHNOLOGY LIVE: Tax-related cyberscams on the rise
"Scammers are always adapting to what is topical," says Achal Khetarpa, director of
research at anti-virus firm CyberDefender. "We expect an increase in attempts to
scam as more people file their taxes online."
Some tax-related trickery tries to get you to advance sums of money in hopes of
realizing a larger gain. And some cybergangs are using tax-related ruses to silently
take over full control of your PC. Your machine will later be used to pitch fake
drugs or worthless anti-virus protection or to hijack online banking accounts. The
bad guys can use infected workplace PCs to probe deeper into company networks.
Cybergangs routinely plan an array of attacks keyed to holidays and major sporting
events, as well as breaking news about disasters or celebrity deaths and scandals.
"Predictable events like tax season or Valentine's Day give criminals more time to
prepare a proper campaign to lure users into their traps," says Catalin Cosoi,
researcher at anti-virus firm BitDefender.
In the past two years, tax-related scams have run longer than other types of scams,
as people have months to file their taxes. Criminals are expert at playing off
consumer fears of running afoul of the IRS. "Well after tax day, the scams about
detecting a problem with the tax return or being owed a refund will still be quite
viable," says Randy Abrams, researcher at anti-virus firm ESET.
The IRS offers extensive guidance at www.irs.gov on how to avoid being scammed. One
big tip: Ignore any e-mail that purports to come from the IRS, no matter how
official-looking. The IRS does not send unsolicited e-mails to taxpayers.
Beyond that, do not supply sensitive information in response to unsolicited e-mail
requests or online promotions, especially offers for quick tax help or instant
refunds.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/internetprivacy/2010-04-12-identitytheft12_ST_N.htm
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