The IRS issued an “urgent” alert on Wednesday, warning tax preparers of possible scams.
According to the IRS, a new scam email is circulating that is impersonating the IRS and attempting to steal tax payers' Electronic Filing Identification Number (EFIN). The IRS says that scammers are trying to use taxpayers EFINs to file fraudulent tax returns for refunds.
The IRS says that the email has the subject line “Verifying your EFIN before e-filing.” Tax preparers are then being asked to email documents that would disclose their identities and EFINs to the scammers.
“Phishing scams are the most common tool used by identity thieves to trick tax professionals into disclosing sensitive information, and we often see increased activity during filing season,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “Tax professionals must remain vigilant. The scammers are very active and very creative.”
The IRS added, “Some thieves also pose as potential clients, an especially effective scam currently because there are so many remote transactions during the pandemic. The thief may interact repeatedly with a tax professional and then send an email with an attachment that claims to be their tax information.”