In a related development, the W-2 scammers are coupling their efforts to steal employee W-2 information with an older scheme on wire transfers that is victimizing some organizations twice.
“This is one of the most dangerous email phishing scams we’ve seen in a long time. It can result in the large-scale theft of sensitive data that criminals can use to commit various crimes, including filing fraudulent tax returns. We need everyone’s help to turn the tide against this scheme,’’ said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.
When employers report W-2 thefts immediately to the IRS, the agency can take steps to help protect employees from tax-related identity theft. The IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry, working together as the Security Summit, have enacted numerous safeguards in 2016 and 2017 to identify fraudulent returns filed through scams like this. As the Summit partners make progress, cybercriminals need more data to mimic real tax returns.
Here’s how the scam works: Cybercriminals use various spoofing techniques to disguise an email to make it appear as if it is from an organization executive. The email is sent to an employee in the payroll or human resources departments, requesting a list of all employees and their Forms W-2. This scam is sometimes referred to as business email compromise (BEC) or business email spoofing (BES).
The Security Summit partners urge all employers to be vigilant. The W-2 scam, which first appeared last year, is circulating earlier in the tax season and to a broader cross-section of organizations, including school districts, tribal casinos, chain restaurants, temporary staffing agencies, healthcare and shipping and freight. Those businesses that received the scam email last year also are reportedly receiving it again this year.
Source:
http://www.dfi.wa.gov/consumer/alerts/dangerous-w-2-phishing-scam-evolving
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News NOTEBOOK
Remembering the Gipper
He would be 106 years old today.
The thing that I most admire Reagan was his way of talking to people, even when faced harsh criticism from his detractors. He had one eliminate about him that made you want to listen to him, even agree with him. That was charisma, something apparently lacking in Trump. That's why I think Trump is having all of this trouble right now, it's not what he says, it's how he says things that gets him into hot water. You never saw Reagan bashing his critics in public, if he did he always found a way to respond with a jest. That was just his character, maybe that comes from being an actor.
The media hated him, but always left being looked upon being the weasels, while Reagan looked more classy then they were. I hope Trump will find that charisma within himself, not go have cocked with statements that only serve to put him at odds with those who would support him.
