The Dark Side of Tax Season: Watch Out for These Tax Scams

Protecting Your Workforce from the “Tax Season Surge”

As security awareness and training (SAT) professionals, we know that cybercriminals never miss a seasonal opportunity. Tax season, in particular, provides a perfect storm of high stakes and tight deadlines that scammers exploit through sophisticated social engineering. To protect your organization and your employees, your SAT program should move beyond general phishing warnings and focus on specific, actionable guidance.

What to Highlight in Your Security Awareness and Training Program

When updating your curriculum for the upcoming months, encourage your team to adopt these three core defensive behaviors:

1. The “IRS Communication” Reality Check Remind employees that the IRS typically initiates contact through physical mail. If they receive a phone call, text, or email claiming to be from a tax agency and demanding immediate payment or personal data, it is a massive red flag. Empower your staff to hang up or delete these messages immediately. Or they can report any potential type of tax scam directly to the IRS.

2. The Power of the IP PIN One of the most effective defenses against tax-related identity theft is the IRS Identity Protection PIN. Encourage your employees to sign up for this six-digit code. It adds a critical layer of authentication that makes it nearly impossible for a scammer to file a fraudulent return using their Social Security number.

3. Early Filing as a Security Strategy Position early filing not just as a productivity tip, but as a security best practice. By filing early, employees “occupy” their tax profile for the year, ensuring that if a criminal tries to file a secondary, fraudulent return later, it will be flagged and rejected by the IRS.

By integrating these specific tips into your training, you move your program from “awareness” to “empowerment,” giving your workforce the tools they need to navigate tax season safely.

For more detailed information on identifying specific tax-related threats: The Dark Side of Tax Season: Watch Out for These Tax Scams