Scammers Targeting Tax Preparers to Steal Client Data: IRS

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued an alert Thursday warning about an email scam impersonating software providers seeking to steal critical information that gives them access to client data of tax preparers. Scammers posing as tax software providers are requesting electronic filing identification number (EFIN) documents from tax professionals, the IRS said. These scammers claim the docs need to be verified so that tax preparers can send returns to the IRS. EFIN is a number assigned by the agency to tax preparers accepted into the e-filing program and signifies they are an authorized IRS e-filing service provider. Scammers seek to “steal client data and tax preparers’ identities, creating the potential for them to file fraudulent tax returns for refunds,” the IRS stated. The agency reports to have already received “dozens of reports” of such scams targeting tax professionals. A typical scam email being sent to tax preparers is as follows:...