The IRS is providing tax relief to victims of Hurricane Harvey. Check www.irs.gov/hurricaneharvey for the latest updates.

As Hurricane Irma approaches, the IRS is closely monitoring the storm and will be assessing next steps that will be needed for areas declared a federal disaster area. The IRS urges tax professionals to prepare for hurricanes and other disasters by keeping electronic copies of key records and documenting valuables. Learn more about how to prepare for a disaster and what to do in the aftermath on IRS.gov.

Callers pose as Social Security Administration employees

Warning, the SSA will not ask for personal information over the phone.

Financial scams involving people pretending to be government employees aren’t restricted only to those Internal Revenue Service phone schemes so prevalent in recent years. Now there’s a new scam making the rounds, one in which criminals try to defraud people out of their Social Security checks.

Gale Stallworth Stone, the acting inspector general of Social Security, is warning citizens about a scheme that goes like this: Someone posing as a Social Security Administration (SSA) employee calls from a phone number with a 323 area code. In some cases, the swindler tells victims they are due a 1.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment increase in their Social Security benefits.

The impersonator then asks the victim to verify all of his or her personal information, including name, date of birth and Social Security number, in order to receive the increase. If the impostor is able to acquire this data, the person can use it to contact the SSA and request changes to the victim’s direct deposit, address and phone information.

According to the warning, the SSA will sometimes reach out to citizens by phone for customer service purposes, but the agency's reps will not ask for personal information this way. Anyone who receives a suspicious call is encouraged to report it to the Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271 or online via https://oig.ssa.gov/report.

The SSA also operates a toll-free customer service number for anyone with questions or concerns (1-800-772-1213), which can be contacted from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. (Those who are deaf or hard of hearing can call Social Security at 1-800-325-0778.)

You can also stay on top of con artists’ latest tricks by signing up for AARP’s free Watchdog Alerts.

Stone continues to warn citizens to be cautious and to avoid providing information such as SSN and bank account numbers to unknown individuals over the phone or the internet unless they are absolutely certain of who is receiving these personal details. 

“You must be very confident that the source is the correct business party and your information will be secure after you release it,” Stone said.

Another scam that continues to prey on older people involves calls from or about a grandchild in trouble. If anyone phones you claiming to be your grandkid, or someone who knows your grandkid, and requests cash, hang up and consult with another family member first. Chances are, you just saved yourself from becoming a victim.

Important Information About your e-Services Account

 

New e-Services platform launch next week

Please don’t confuse this with the routine outage that takes place during the Labor Day holiday. Starting Thursday, September 7, will begin moving e-Services to a new platform that will complete a multi-year upgrade and some products will be unavailable.

·         6 a.m. ET, Thursday, September 7: E-Services registration and the ability to apply for ACA, e-file, TIN Matching and IVES, will be unavailable. A redesigned e-Services landing page will launch. If you go to the old landing page, you will be automatically redirected to the new page.

·         10 p.m. ET, Friday, September 8: Transcript Delivery System and TIN Matching will go offline.

·         6 a.m. ET, Monday, September 11: Transcript Delivery System and TIN Matching will be back online.

·         6 a.m. ET, Tuesday, September 12: Applications for ACA, e-File, TIN Matching and IVES will be available, including ACA Information Return users filing applications for Transmitter Control Codes.

·         State users only will not be able to submit new or change existing e-File/TDS applications from September 7 through late October.

New e-Services User Agreement

In late October, we will roll out a new user agreement. All registered users must accept its terms to have access to e-Services and its products. Please read and sign it when it comes out.

It also addresses an emerging industry we’re calling Intermediate Service Providers. Intermediate Service Providers are privately owned companies offering software and/or services to e-Services users, including helping users access taxpayer transcripts.

The new user agreement requires tax professionals using Intermediate Services Providers to ensure that the company is not storing their username, password or PIN, and they must notify their clients that they are using an Intermediate Service Provider to access tax information.

Registration through Secure Access

Starting in late October, all e-Services users must register through Secure Access, a rigorous authentication process, to validate their identity and meet a new two-factor authentication requirement.

It is called two-factor authentication because all returning users must first enter their credentials (username and password) and then enter a security code sent to the user. To assist users who either cannot use a cell or lack cell service, the IRS is adding a new feature to its IRS2Go app. This app can be used on many types of mobile devices, including smart phones and tablets.

For existing e-Services users who cannot authenticate through Secure Access, we will have an exception process through our help desk. However, even if you validate your identity through the help desk, you will still need a mobile phone or the IRS2Go app to obtain a security code each time you login to e-Services.

You can read more about these changes at Important Information about Your e-Services Account. Read about the current Secure Access process at www.irs.gov/secureaccess. This page will update with information about the IRS2Go app when it becomes available. 

We also have FAQs about Secure Access and e-Services Users and Tips for Successfully Authenticating Your Identity through Secure Access.

Additionally, we will be scheduling some webinars that will demonstrate the registration process for users and we will have experts on hand to answer technical questions. More to come on the Webinars and information about the IRS2Go app.

IRS YouTube Videos:

• Tax Scams: English  | Spanish  | ASL
• Private Collection of Overdue Taxes: English  | Spanish

WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service today warned people to avoid a new phishing scheme that impersonates the IRS and the FBI as part of a ransomware scam to take computer data hostage.

The scam email uses the emblems of both the IRS and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It tries to entice users to select a “here” link to download a fake FBI questionnaire. Instead, the link downloads a certain type of malware called ransomware that prevents users from accessing data stored on their device unless they pay money to the scammers.

“This is a new twist on an old scheme,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “People should stay vigilant against email scams that try to impersonate the IRS and other agencies that try to lure you into clicking a link or opening an attachment. People with a tax issue won’t get their first contact from the IRS with a threatening email or phone call."

The IRS, state tax agencies and tax industries – working in partnership as the Security Summit – currently are conducting an awareness campaign called Don’t Take the Bait, that includes warning tax professionals about the various types of phishing scams, including ransomware. The IRS highlighted this issue in an Aug. 1 news release IR-2017-125 Don’t Take the Bait, Step 4: Defend against Ransomware.

Victims should not pay a ransom. Paying it further encourages the criminals, and frequently the scammers won’t provide the decryption key even after a ransom is paid.

Victims should immediately report any ransomware attempt or attack to the FBI at the Internet Crime Complaint Center, www.IC3.gov. Forward any IRS-themed scams to phishing@irs.gov.

The IRS does not use email, text messages or social media to discuss personal tax issues, such as those involving bills or refunds. For more information, visit the “Tax Scams and Consumer Alerts” page on IRS.gov. Additional information about tax scams is available on IRS social media sites, including YouTube videos.

If you are a tax professional and registered e-Services user who disclosed any credential information, contact the e-Services Help Desk to reset your e-Services password. If you disclosed information and taxpayer data was stolen, contact your local stakeholder liaison. 

Just in time for those who need to file the FBAR by the Oct. 15 extended due date, the IRS offers this webinar on Aug. 30 at 2 p.m. ET.

Topics include:
• Identifying who must file the FBAR
• Determining what accounts must be reported on the FBAR
• Knowing when to file the FBAR
• Explaining how to file the FBAR
• Sharing answers to frequently asked questions

The webinar will feature a live question and answer session at the end of the presentation.

Ransomware attacks are on the rise worldwide as bad actors here and abroad infiltrate computer systems and hold sensitive data hostage.

Time is running out to register for the National Harbor (Washington, D.C.) and Las Vegas Nationwide Tax Forums. The standard rate of $255 expires two weeks before each Forum – Aug. 8 for National Harbor and Aug. 15 for Las Vegas. Registration after those dates will still be available but at a higher rate of $370. The National Harbor Forum is scheduled for Aug. 22-24, while the Las Vegas Forum takes place Aug. 29-31.

Each IRS Nationwide Tax Forum offer practitioners continuing education seminars, case resolution and an exhibition featuring dozens of vendors and service providers. To register, visit irstaxforum.com.

The IRS is in the final stages of a technology upgrade for e-Services. Please plan ahead as there will be some temporary use issues that will occur as we make this transition:

1. There will be a complete outage of all e-Services tools, including Registration, Transcript Delivery System (TDS), and TIN Matching, from 6 p.m. EDT, Thursday, Aug. 17, until 6 a.m. EDT, Monday, Aug. 21. Applications also will be offline and resume Aug. 22, except for state users. E-Services must be taken offline to complete the platform transition and to perform testing. This outage will affect all users, including bulk users such as IVES and TIN Matching.

2. All State tax agency users will be unable to submit new e-file and TDS applications for state coordinators or change existing e-file and TDS applications for state coordinators from Aug. 17 until late October. This temporary issue will not affect state access to transcripts. If there is a critical need to add or remove an individual from a state application, states may contact their IRS government liaison representative who will notify appropriate IRS personnel.

3. Affordable Care Act Information Return (AIR) filers may resume submission of applications for Transmitter Control Codes starting on Aug. 22. The application process for AIR users has been offline since July because of the e-Services platform transition.

4. A redesigned e-Services landing page will launch Aug. 21.

WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service, state tax agencies and the tax industry today warned tax professionals to be alert to a new phishing email scam impersonating tax software providers and attempting to steal usernames and passwords.

This sophisticated scam yet again displays cybercriminals’ tax savvy and underscores the need for tax professionals to take strong security measures to protect their clients and protect their business. This is the time of year when many software providers issue software upgrades and when tax professionals are working to meet the Oct. 15 deadline for extension filers.

These types of phishing scams are why the IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry, acting as the Security Summit, launched the 10-week Don’t Take the Bait campaign currently underway. This awareness effort highlights the many tactics of cybercriminals as well as the steps tax professionals can take to protect their clients and themselves.

This latest scam email variation comes with a subject line of “Software Support Update” and highlights an “Important Software System Upgrade.” It thanks recipients for continuing to trust the software provider to serve their tax preparation needs and mimics the software providers’ email templates.

The e-mail informs the recipients that due to a recent software upgrade, the preparer must revalidate their login credentials. It provides a link to a fictitious website that mirrors the software provider’s actual login page.

Instead of upgrading software, the tax professionals are providing their information to cybercriminals who use the stolen credentials to access the preparers’ accounts and to steal client information.

The Security Summit reminds tax professionals that software providers do not embed links into emails asking them to validate passwords. Also, tax professionals and taxpayers should never open a link or an attachment from a suspicious email.

Tax professionals can review additional tips to protect clients and themselves at Protect Your Clients, Protect Yourself on IRS.gov.

Tax professionals who receive emails purportedly from their tax software providers seeking login credentials should send those scam emails to their tax software provider. 

For Windows users, follow this process to help the investigation of these scam emails:

1. Use “Save As” to save the scam. Under “save as type” in the drop-down menu, select “plain text” and save to the desktop. Do not click on any links.
2. Open a new email and attach this saved email as a file.
3. Send a new email containing the attachment to the tax software provider, as well as a copy to Phishing@IRS.gov.