It’s tax time again. Millions of Americans are filing for returns and making plans for how to use the money. Attackers have other ideas for that tax return.
TurboTax promotes itself as the number one, best-selling tax preparation software. No doubt they hold credentials belonging to millions of Americans who have used them for their taxes. Now, officials report an attacker obtained tax return data through a credential stuffing hack on their platform.
Cyber criminals are naturally drawn to money -- your money. Financial aid awarded to students is a frequent target. This is a challenge for the university, as we often need to contact you about financial aid for legitimate reasons. It is important to recognize the difference between a valid email from Buckeye Link, and a phony one from an attacker. The image posted is an example of what an authorized financial aid email from Ohio State looks like.
KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF FINANCIAL AID EMAILS sent from Ohio state:
Tax related phishing attempts frequently occur, because criminals would love to get their hands on your W-2 so they can steal your identity and/or your tax refund. This article (new for 2018 tax season) is posted to share with you what you should expect and what a legitimate W-2 email sent from Ohio State looks like.
Identity theft is an important issue year-round, but tax season calls for heightened vigilance among those filing online. According to the United States Department of Justice, in 2013 “over 5 million tax returns were filed using stolen identities, claiming approximately $30 billion in refunds.”
We don’t want your identity to be one of those stolen for fraudulent tax returns, so we’re sharing useful tips from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that can help keep your identity safe this tax season.
