“Hello,” the email began. The sender apologized for the delay, adding, “unfortunately I fell ill but am back up and running.”
“I have already applied for an extension,” she advised, but had uploaded her tax documents for 2021. The file was encrypted, so she noted the password, adding, “Thank you for taking me on and working with me this tax season! Have a good weekend!”
I received that email—or variations on it—about six times. This version was signed “Christen Jones.”
“Christen” is clearly a scammer.
She’s not the only scammer targeting my inbox this season. In the past few weeks, I’ve received fake invoices, changes to “our contract,” and numerous files allegedly relating to taxes sent to me using services like OneDrive.
Tax Pros Are Targets
I am not an anomaly—in fact, just the opposite. Earlier this year, the IRS reminded tax professionals that they remain “prime targets for thieves.”
When we think about these kinds of schemes, our minds tend to go straight to tax preparers since tax scams often include efforts to steal identities to file fraudulent tax returns for refunds. But all tax, legal, and financial professionals who work with client data that may include personally-identifying information (PII) and financial account details are vulnerable.
Professional Responsibilities
While we can’t control bad actors, that doesn’t absolve professionals of our responsibilities. In addition to potential contractual obligations, there are…
