On January 20 , an email from Lynn Jurich , CEO of San Francisco-based solar firm Sunrun , popped up in a payroll department employee 's inbox . The CEO was requesting copies of all employee W-2 forms , which were about to be sent out in preparation for tax season . The employee responded quickly as requested , not realizing the W-2 forms — containing the addresses , social security numbers , and salary information for Sunrun 's nearly 4,000 employees — were actually being delivered Attack.Databreach to a scam artist . Tax season is always a busy time for scammers seeking to gain access Attack.Databreach to sensitive information , but this year attacks are coming earlier and in greater numbers than usual . The uptick has caused the IRS to release an urgent alert warning employers to be on the lookout for what they 're refering to as `` one of the most dangerous email phishing scams Attack.Phishing we ’ ve seen in a long time . '' By using email spoofing techniques , criminals are able to draft Attack.Phishing emails that look as though they are coming directly from Attack.Phishing a high-level executive at your organization . They send Attack.Phishing the message to an employee in the payroll department or HR and include a request for a list of the organization 's employees along with their W-2 forms . Their initial goal is to use the W-2 information to file fraudulent tax returns and claim refunds . But not all criminals are stopping there . Once they 've found a responsive victim , a portion are also following up with additional email requesting a wire transfer be made to an account they provide . Also referred to as business email compromise (BEC) Attack.Phishing , these attacks Attack.Phishing have claimed more than 15,000 victims and cost organizations more than $ 1 billion over the past three years . More than 100 organizations have already fallen victim to W-2 phishing scams Attack.Phishing in 2017

The IRS , state tax agencies and the nation ’ s tax industry urge people to be on the lookout for new , sophisticated email phishing scams Attack.Phishing that could endanger their personal information and next year ’ s tax refund . The most common way for cybercriminals to steal Attack.Databreach bank account information , passwords , credit cards or social security numbers is to simply ask for them . Every day , people fall victim to phishing scams Attack.Phishing that cost them their time and their money . Those emails urgently warning users to update their online financial accounts—they ’ re fake . That email directing users to download a document from a cloud-storage provider ? Fake . Those other emails suggesting the recipients have a $ 64 tax refund waiting at the IRS or that the IRS needs information about insurance policies—also fake . So are many new and evolving variations of these schemes . The Internal Revenue Service , state tax agencies and the tax community are marking National Tax Security Awareness Week with a series of reminders to taxpayers and tax professionals . Phishing attacks Attack.Phishing use email or malicious websites to solicit personal , tax or financial information by posing as Attack.Phishing a trustworthy organization . Often , recipients are fooled Attack.Phishing into believing the phishing Attack.Phishing communication is from someone they trust . A scam artist may take advantage of knowledge gained from online research and earlier attempts to masquerade as Attack.Phishing a legitimate source , including presenting the look and feel of authentic communications , such as using an official logo . These targeted messages can trick Attack.Phishing even the most cautious person into taking action that may compromise sensitive data . The scams may contain emails with hyperlinks that take users to a fake site . Other versions contain PDF attachments that may download malware or viruses . Some phishing emails will appear to come from Attack.Phishing a business colleague , friend or relative . These emails might be an email account compromise . Criminals may have compromised Attack.Databreach your friend ’ s email account and begin using their email contacts to send Attack.Phishing phishing emails . Not all phishing attempts Attack.Phishing are emails , some are phone scams . One of the most common phone scams is the caller pretending to be Attack.Phishing from the IRS and threatening the taxpayer with a lawsuit or with arrest if payment is not made immediately , usually through a debit card . Phishing attacks Attack.Phishing , especially online phishing scams Attack.Phishing , are popular with criminals because there is no fool-proof technology to defend against them . Users are the main defense . When users see a phishing scam Attack.Phishing , they should ensure they don ’ t take the bait Attack.Phishing .

Cyber Monday is here ! If you avoided the retail stores and skipped their Black Friday deals , do n't worry , you 'll get another chance for major savings today . From clothing to travel to exclusive online-only deals , Cyber Monday still has tons to offer . But just in time for the Cyber Monday shopping rush , watch out for sinister phishing scams Attack.Phishing that are making the rounds . With more online shoppers this time around - searching every nook and cranny of the web in search of the best Cyber Monday deals - crooks are again looking to dupe Attack.Phishing unsuspecting bargain hunters . Stop and Think , Did I order this ? One of the most effective tools for a cybercriminal is the phishing scam Attack.Phishing . This is when a scammer poses as Attack.Phishing a trustworthy entity and tries tricking Attack.Phishing you into clicking on a malicious link . Their ultimate goal , of course , is to steal Attack.Databreach your sensitive information such as credit card details , usernames and passwords . With this year 's holiday online shopping numbers projected to be the biggest ever , millions of items will be processed and shipped . With this surge in shipping activity , consumer protection groups are warning everyone to watch out for fake delivery notices and package verification scams . For example , if you receive Attack.Phishing an email from `` Amazon '' saying that you have a pending delivery that needs verification from you , then that is most likely a phishing scam Attack.Phishing . Other email phishing scams Attack.Phishing may also pretend to provide Attack.Phishing you with a link for shipping updates or special discount coupons and offers . Another popular ploy is the phantom order scam . These alarming emails are meant to get you clicking by pretending Attack.Phishing you ordered thousands of dollars of merchandise . But before you click that link , look out , these deceitful messages can be extremely convincing . Fake delivery and shipping notifications can look just like Attack.Phishing the real thing , using real logos and art from company websites . These cybercriminals will even set up Attack.Phishing fake websites that look like Attack.Phishing the real deal to lure Attack.Phishing you into giving away your personal information and credit card details .