Protecting Yourself from Cyber Attacks During Tax Season
/Oh, tax season. The most wonderful time of year - said no freelancer, ever. Between the forms and the threat of cybersecurity issues, this season is one that many of us try to quickly move out of it. Over the past several years as more people file their taxes using online programs, cybersecurity has become more of an issue. In February 2015, the TurboTax program went through a devasting cyber-attack where many of the users had their information stolen. Unfortunately, identity theft during tax season does happen and the numbers are rising. Thankfully, just as there are many different types of cyberattacks, there are just as many ways to protect yourself from them.
Tax season may not be fun, but it does not have to be stressful. If you do your weekly money dates and protect your software, your tax season will be easy breezy.
Use a Separate Email
A great way to prevent widespread damage from a cyberattack is to use a specific email for tax purposes only. This protects your other financial information as well as customer financial information if your account were to be attacked. Another perk is this also helps you to be more organized, as all your tax information is in one place.
It is important to remember that for having a separate email for tax season to protect you, you must have a strong and unique password. This means your email account has to have a password you don’t use anywhere else, with a good mix of upper and lowercase letters, which includes numbers and symbols. You could also use a password manager to make creating a tough password much easier.
Invest in Quality Software
Other tactics aside, a powerful antivirus program can be helpful against cybercriminals. These software suites protect you from several different forms of malware: adware, viruses, keyloggers, phishing emails and more. It is important to do your research and make sure the program is from a legitimate company and will cover everything from your personal information to your professional data.
Some antivirus companies suggest installing the program on every device you connect to the Internet to be the most effective. This includes devices such as phones and tablets that many people overlook when thinking about cybersecurity. An added bonus of the antivirus software is it protects you year-round, not just during tax season.
Keep Up to Date on Scams
There is a multitude of scams that focus on tax season. Scammers have been posing as the IRS to trick people into handing out their personal information for years. Other scams are newer, such as the “surprise refund bait-and-switch.” This scam involves criminals stealing your personal information via phishing scams and filing a tax return on your behalf. Then when the refund is posted to your account, they will demand you return the money. Local news stations will report on these scams as many of them are regional in nature. You can also look online or check the IRS website for a list of known scams.
If you think you have encountered a scam, the IRS encourages you to report it at 1-800-908-4490 or phishing@irs.gov. The IRS also stresses that they typically contact taxpayers through paper mail: not phone, email or social media outlets. The organization also does not demand immediate payment and does not have the power to take away your social security card, driver’s license or immigration status. Anybody that claims to be from the IRS and says this is a fraudster.
It’s important for everybody to protect themselves from cybercrime during tax season. It can take months to get back your identity once it’s stolen, plus lost faith from your customers if their information was compromised as well. By taking these simple steps to protect your personal and professional information, you can save yourself a world of a headache this tax season.
About Money & Mimosas: Money & Mimosas was started as a passion project by Danetha. A former NFL cheerleader turned entrepreneur, she started blogging as a way to combine all of her passions into a career. Money & Mimosas is now enjoyed by readers in over fifty countries with the same dream of achieving financial freedom without living frugally.
