US Tax Season Phishing Scams and Malware Campaigns

["US-CERT" <US-CERT () ncas us-cert gov>]

NCCIC / US-CERT

National Cyber Awareness System:

US Tax Season Phishing Scams and Malware Campaigns [ 
https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/current-activity/2014/02/26/US-Tax-Season-Phishing-Scams-and-Malware-Campaigns ] 
02/26/2014 03:10 PM EST 
Original release date: February 26, 2014

In the past, US-CERT has received reports of an increased number of phishing scams and malware campaigns that seek to 
take advantage of the United States tax season. The Internal Revenue Service has issued an advisory [ 
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Releases-the-“Dirty-Dozen”-Tax-Scams-for-2014;-Identity-Theft,-Phone-Scams-Lead-List
 ] on its website warning consumers about potential scams. Tax season phishing campaigns may include, but are not 
limited to:


  * Information that refers to a tax refund, 
  * Warnings about unreported or under-reported income, 
  * Offers to assist in filing for a refund, or 
  * Links to counterfeit e-file websites. 

These messages, which can appear to be from the IRS, may ask users to submit personal information via email, or include 
links to sites that request personal information or host malicious code.

To protect themselves against these types of phishing scams and malware campaigns, users and administrators are 
encouraged to take the following measures:


  * Do not follow links in unsolicited email messages. 
  * Keep antivirus software up to date. 
  * Refer to US-CERT's Security Tips on Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams [ 
http://www.us-cert.gov/security-publications/recognizing-and-avoiding-email-scams ] and Avoiding Social Engineering and 
Phishing Attacks [ http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/tips/ST04-014 ] for additional techniques and recommendations. 
  * Visit the IRS page [ http://www.irs.gov/uac/Report-Phishing ] for instructions on how to report suspected tax 
season phishing messages. 
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