Security Experts Warn Businesses About Increase in Spear Phishing Scams
Thursday, May 9th, 2019 -- 8:52 AM
(WRN) -Security experts at the I R S are warning businesses about an increase in so-called Spear Phishing scams.The I R S is telling businesses to be on the lookout for targeted scam emails aiming for their financial information. The scam is called spear phishing, and the scammers will send spoofed emails to pose as fellow employees asking for information or checks. Spokesman Christopher Miller says scammers are really aiming for big payouts of personally identifiable information.
"Not only are businesses being targeted, but we're also seeing payroll companies being targeted, and even tax preparers."
Miller says the payouts can be substantial.
"If they're successful, these cyber-thieves are getting large scale information on employees and clients, and that's why we're seeing an uptick in this sort of activity."
Miller says they're especially working to prevent those data thefts from accountants and tax preparers.
"All of that personal information, what the Social Securities of the parents and the children are, all of that information can be stolen from tax preparers."
Miller says you should be training your employees to be critical about what information they send in an email, and if there's some confusion, contact the person making the request directly to make sure it's a legitimate mail.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.