How to protect your members from phishing scams during tax season

Most people do not look forward to tax season. However, groups of financial fraudsters can’t wait for it to get started. This is the time of year when scam artists will try to take advantage of taxpayers’ stress and concerns – especially the elderly, who may not have technical experience – by pretending to be the IRS and deceiving them into unknowingly providing their personal and financial information.

Detecting and Preventing Phishing Scams

Many taxpayers become anxious about possible errors on their returns, which could make them susceptible to calls and emails from tax scammers. Credit unions can help prevent their members from falling victim to phishing scams by educating them about the warning signs.

• The IRS will not initiate contact with a taxpayer by email, nor will they send a message via text or on social media. Any requests for financial and account information, passwords or similar information for credit cards via these channels should be ignored, deleted or reported to the IRS.

 

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