IR-2017-127, Aug. 8, 2017 Español

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service, state tax agencies and the tax industry today reminded tax professionals that their entire digital network could be at risk for remote takeover by cybercriminals. Such a takeover could lead to fraudulent tax filings and damage to their clients.

Multiple incidents have been reported to the IRS in the past year as tax professionals' systems have been secretly infiltrated. The criminals accessed client tax returns, completed those returns, e-filed them and secretly directed refunds to their own accounts.

Increasing awareness about remote takeovers is part of the “Don't Take the Bait” campaign, a 10-part series aimed at tax professionals. The IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry, working together as the Security Summit, urge practitioners to learn to protect themselves from remote takeovers. This is part of the ongoing Protect Your Clients; Protect Yourself effort.

“This is another emerging threat to tax professionals that the IRS has seen on the rise,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said. “A remote takeover can be devastating to practitioners' business as well as to the taxpayers they serve. It's critical for people to take steps to understand and prevent these security threats before it's too late.”

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