Tax scams intensify ahead of tax filing deadline

For most Americans, the deadline for filing tax returns is April 15th. Scammers are exploiting this to create a sense of urgency.

In one example, phishing emails are sent with an attachment titled “Urgent Reminder,” impersonating the Tax Service department.

The email features a PDF file attachment with a QR code. After scanning it, users are redirected to a phishing site with its destination hidden through a clever use of doubleclick.net redirects, Malwarebytes reports.

The fake site asks users to enter their Microsoft credentials with the email address already filled out.

“Entering your password will send your credentials to a Russian receiver, who will decide what the most profitable way to use them is,” Malwarebytes claims in blog post.

Dozens of similar tax scams impersonating the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) appear year-round and peak at tax season.

Typically, scammers try to generate urgency via a scam email. However, it’s worth noting that the IRS rarely contacts people by email and, when it does, only sends general information in an ongoing case with an assigned IRS employee.

One particularly popular type of scam from last year was the so-called “self-employment tax credit,” which misled taxpayers into filing false claims.

The email displayed fake information for self-employed people and gig workers to get big payments from the COVID-19 pandemic period.