WASHINGTON — A new alert issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) warns car dealers, individuals and businesses to beware of online scams that could be devasting in the wake of a recent ransomware attack.
The schemes, which often involve phishing and smishing, are used by fraudsters and identity thieves to trick their targets into clicking a suspicious link, filling out personal and financial information or downloading a malware file onto their computer.
“In light of the recent ransomware attack aimed at car dealers, the IRS is warning individuals and businesses to remain vigilant against these attacks,” the tax agency said in a statement.
Previously
IRS issues warning about social media scam tricking taxpayers
IRS releases nationwide warning about tax scam
The IRS warns people to never click on any unsolicited communication because it may surreptitiously load malware. It may also be a way for malicious hackers to load ransomware that keeps the legitimate user from accessing their system and files.
The warning comes on the heels of a cyberattack on CDK Global that affected 15,000 car dealerships across North America and caused huge losses. A study from the Anderson Economic Group estimated the impact topped $1 billion.
Auto dealers across the country use CDK Global software for a variety of tasks, ranging from sales of cars in the showroom to estimating the costs of repairs in the dealer’s service department. Two cyberattacks on June 19 forced CDK to shut down…
