The IRS is beating the Don’t Take the Bait drum loud these days. They have sent multiple communication regarding E-services phishing scams in the last few months. It appears another wave of attacks are imminent/underway; being that this is the second alert/bulletin on this topic in the last week.
So… Please read below and be hyper vigilant with Email communications regarding your E-services account!
Issue Number: SPECIAL EDITION
Don’t Take the Bait: e-Services Scam Alert
The IRS is warning all e-Services users to beware of a new phishing scam that tries to trick tax professionals into “signing” a new e-Services user agreement. The phishing scam seeks to steal passwords and data.
All tax professionals should be aware that as e-Services begins its move later this month to Secure Access authentication and its two-factor protections, cybercriminals likely will make last-ditch efforts to steal passwords and data prior to the transition.
The scam email claims to be from “e-Services Registration” and uses “Important Update about Your e-Services Account” in the subject line. It states, in part, “We are rolling out a new user agreement and all registered users must accept its revised terms to have access to e-Services and its products.” It asks you to review and accept the agreement but takes you to a fake site instead.
If you have clicked on this link, you should perform a deep scan with your security software, contact your office’s IT/cybersecurity personnel and contact the IRS e-Help Desk.
To read more about what the IRS is doing to protect your accounts with Secure Access authentication, go directly to the main e-Services landing page on IRS.gov.
