This tax season, join a webinar, protect your data

 Seena Gressin

Tax season has just begun, but tax identity thieves already are posting their “gone phishin’” signs: fake emails designed to trick companies into handing over their employees’ personal information. To help small businesses avoid the hook, the FTC and the IRS are hosting a free Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week webinar on Wednesday, February 1, at 4 p.m. EST.

Here’s what happens, according to the IRS. Cybercriminals send an email that looks like it’s from a corporate officer. It asks the company’s payroll or human resources officer for employees’ W-2s “for a quick review.”  But it’s not real, and those who reply are sending employees’ names, Social Security numbers, and income information to scammers, who then file fraudulent returns for tax refunds.

Wednesday’s webinar will give you more information on scams like this, as well as about tax identity theft, imposter scams that target businesses, data breaches, and free resources to help keep your company’s private information secure. Join the FTC and the IRS on February 1, at 4 p.m. EST for Protecting Sensitive Business and Customer Information.

But don’t stop there. Check out Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week for more events and information. And visit the Business Center’s Privacy and Security portal for more resources.

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