Tax filing officially began this week, which can bring an increase in online and phone scams that attempt to steal tax refunds, bank account information or your identity. The Office of Information Security (OIS) in the Office of Technology Services (OTS) reminds Towson University employees to address all potential phishing emails or suspicious phone calls–especially tax-related ones–with caution.
How to recognize common tax scams:
- The email or unsolicited caller says the user is owed a refund and should forward a bank account number where the refund may be deposited.
- The email contains exciting offers or refunds for participating in an “IRS Survey.”
- The email or unsolicited caller threatens the user with fines or jail time for not making an immediate payment, responding to the email, or providing the necessary financial or personal information.
- The email includes a “helpful” downloadable document (e.g., “new changes in the tax law,” a tax calculator, etc.). In reality, the download is probably a malicious file intended to infect your computer.
How to avoid becoming a victim of a tax scam:
- Complete your taxes as early as possible. Filing early minimizes the chance of scammers impersonating you, filing your taxes, and stealing your refund.
- Do not respond to emails appearing to be from the IRS. The IRS does not initiate taxpayer communications through email or social media to request personal or financial information. If you receive an unsolicited email in your TU email account claiming to be from the IRS, forward it to phishing@towson.edu.
- Do not respond to unsolicited emails and do not provide sensitive information via email. If the email appears to be from the TU Payroll Office, contact the office directly using the phone number from the University Online Directory– don’t call numbers provided in the questionable email. Do not open any attachments or click on links contained in unsolicited or suspicious emails.
- Do not provide financial or personal information to unsolicited callers or telemarketers. Politely end the call, then block the number. For added security, you can also register your personal number on the National Do Not Call Registry.
- Secure your computer with recent system and application updates. Anti-virus and anti-spyware software should be installed, running and receiving automatic updates. Use a strong and different password for each account.
Tax-related resources from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS):
- IRS’ Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft
- Current Tax Scams and IRS’ Consumer Alerts
- Report Phishing to the IRS
OIS reminds the campus to forward suspicious emails received through TU accounts to phishing@towson.edu. Visit towson.edu/phishing for more resources.
