The IRS recently alerted employers to a dangerous new e-mail phishing scam involving false requests for payroll information made through “spoof” accounts. This scam “can result in the large-scale theft of sensitive data that criminals can use to commit various crimes, including filing fraudulent tax returns,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.
The IRS defined these steps you can take if you think you or your business has been affected by this scam:
Organizations receiving a W-2 scam email should forward it to [email protected] and place “W2 Scam” in the subject line. Organizations that receive the scams or fall victim to them should file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3,) operated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Employees whose Forms W-2 have been stolen should review the recommended actions by the Federal Trade Commission at www.identitytheft.gov or the IRS at www.irs.gov/identitytheft. Employees should file a Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit, if the employee’s own tax return gets rejected because of a duplicate Social Security number or if instructed to do so by the IRS.
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