{"id":188470,"date":"2024-04-09T12:01:44","date_gmt":"2024-04-09T19:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=188470"},"modified":"2024-08-01T11:44:22","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T18:44:22","slug":"the-top-tax-scams-of-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/the-top-tax-scams-of-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top Tax Scams of 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

While last-minute tax filers stare down the clock, scammers look for easy pickings. Tax scams are in full swing as April 15th<\/sup> approaches, and we have a rundown of the top ones making the rounds this year.<\/p>\n

For starters, the stakes this year remain the same as ever. Scammers are taking advantage of the stress and uncertainty that comes with tax season as they target people\u2019s personal info, money, or both. Their avenues of attack remain the same as well, via email, texts, direct messages, and the phone.<\/p>\n

Yet there\u2019s a new wrinkle this year. Scammers have tapped into AI tools that make their scams look and feel far more sophisticated than ever.<\/p>\n

We saw the first stirrings of AI-driven scams last year as AI tools first entered the marketplace. This year, AI-driven scams feature more and more in the landscape of threats. Scammers use them to generate images, write copy, and build websites in a fraction of the time that it once took. While they still make some of the design and writing mistakes they\u2019ve made in the past, they make far fewer of them.<\/p>\n

Examples of tax scams we\u2019ve spotted this year.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We have a couple of tax scams to share from the many we\u2019ve uncovered. The first one involves a popular brand of tax software here in the U.S.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Example of a scammer email<\/p>\n

At first blush, this bogus email looks pretty legit. At first. The layout, photograph, and link all look like standard fare for an email. Though looking more closely, you can spot several AI fingerprints all over it.<\/p>\n

For one, big brands like TurboTax have writers, editors, and reviewers who comb over copy before it gets approved for release. Here, the headline breaks a pretty standard formatting rule. In \u201cheadline case\u201d writing, the \u201cwith\u201d should be lowercase. Sure, mistakes get made, and this might be one example. Yet the problems go deeper than that.<\/p>\n

Read the fine print. You\u2019ll see that the grammar is off. The paragraph overall has a broken feel to it. You\u2019ll also see that the copy mentions \u201cmarket leader\u201d twice \u2014 and awkwardly so. And what company mentions its competitors in an email like this? They\u2019re not out to boost competitors.<\/p>\n

Lastly, the email spells out the company’s name wrong in the fine print. It\u2019s \u201cTurboTax,\u201d not \u201cTurbo Tax with License Code.\u201d All of this points to an obvious fake. But only by looking closely at it. It\u2019s as if the scammers prompted an AI chatbot with \u201cDescribe what TurboTax is\u201d and got this as a response.<\/p>\n

Granted, that represents an example of rather sloppy work. The next example looks more convincing. This time, the scammers impersonate the IRS:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Example of a scammer website<\/p>\n

We discovered this fake IRS site when our McAfee Labs team investigated a link sent in an email. The bait is the promise of getting a tax ID number for a business or organization. The hook is this bogus site designed to harvest personal and business info.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve visited the IRS site recently, you\u2019ll recognize the look and feel of an IRS webpage quickly. It seems familiar enough, yet once again a closer look reveals a few things.<\/p>\n

First, a small grammatical error rears its head in the copy. The term \u201csetup\u201d is a noun, yet the copy uses it as a verb. It should read \u201cset up\u201d instead. Granted, this is a common error. Many sites make it, yet it\u2019s a red flag nonetheless. Next, the contact method in the top right raises yet another. Contact \u201can EIN expert\u201d via email during set hours? Set hours are for phone calls, not email.<\/p>\n

We omitted the final telltale sign \u2014 the URL. It was clearly a fake and not the official irs.gov address.<\/p>\n

In all, it shows just how cagey tax scammers can be today. Particularly with AI. It puts a fresh look on some old tactics, making scams tougher to spot.<\/p>\n

Now, onto our top tax scams for 2024.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sketchy email attachments \u2014 the five most popular types.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This classic is back. Scammers spread all manner of malware with email attachments. One example: spyware that steals info as you type usernames and passwords as you log into your accounts. Another: ransomware that holds the data on your device hostage until you pay. Maybe. The list goes on, yet scammers always try to package it up in a way that looks legit.<\/p>\n

One way they pull that off is with a phony tax document bundled up in a .pdf document. In fact, the .pdf format marks the number one file type that hackers and scammers use in their attacks. By our count, it tops the number two file type by a ratio of roughly 6 to 1.<\/p>\n

Here are the top five file types used by scammers and hackers:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. .pdf<\/li>\n
  2. .exe<\/li>\n
  3. .zip<\/li>\n
  4. .html<\/li>\n
  5. .text<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    What makes the .pdf format so popular? People trust it. It gets commonly used in business, and many legitimate tax forms come in that format. However, it also offers a versatile platform for exploits. Hackers and scammers can embed malicious links and content within them. So clicking what\u2019s inside that .pdf doc can lead to trouble, say in the form of a malicious website designed to steal personal info.<\/p>\n

    Starting in the second half of last year, we noted a spike in malicious attachments that used the .pdf format. Another reason that makes .pdf files so popular, email filters tend to focus on other file types like the executable .exe format. So, a .pdf has a better shot at slipping through.<\/p>\n

    Our advice:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    As always, strong antivirus software can detect and protect you from malicious email attachments. Our Next-gen Threat Protection found in all our McAfee+ plans<\/a> once again proves itself as a top option for antivirus. Results from the independent lab AV-TEST in December 2023 saw it block 100% of entirely new malware attacks in real-world testing. It likewise scored 100% against malware discovered in the previous four weeks. In all, it received the highest marks for protection, performance, and usability \u2014 earning it the AV-TEST Top Product certification.<\/p>\n

    Tax time phishing scams.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Phishing scams crop up in plenty of places and take plenty of forms. As in years past, we see scammers cranking up their bogus texts, direct messages, and emails. They all follow the tax season theme, yet they take different approaches to roping in victims. Some include:<\/p>\n