Tax Season Is Cyber Crime Season

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As tax season begins, cyber crime targeting W-2 forms is on the rise. Criminals want W-2 forms so they can file fraudulent tax returns and cash the refund checks. Victims find out about these scams when they attempt to file their legitimate returns, only to be told that a return has already been filed.

tax securityThe U.S. Justice Department, citing Internal Revenue Service data from 2013, reported that 5 million tax returns were filed fraudulently, seeking $30 billion in refunds. Cases of this fraud are believed to be much higher today, leaving victims to wait out a lengthy process of reconciliation before they can get the tax refunds they deserve.

Anyone who issues or distributes W-2 forms needs to take exceptional care with them. Because they contain Social Security numbers and personally identifying information, they are considered protected personal information under state laws.

How to Protect and Safely Distribute W-2 Forms

Criminals attempt to steal W-2 forms in two ways: online and in person. In-person theft simply involves stealing W-2 forms from someone’s mailbox. Criminals know when to look, but they may not know what they are looking for.

You can prevent mailbox theft by distributing W-2 forms online, or by handing them to employees in the office. If you must mail W-2 forms, it is best to do so in a plain envelope with a handwritten return address that looks like a personal letter. Avoid envelopes that look corporate, and absolutely avoid windowed envelopes that show the form or that have printed messages stating that a W-2 is inside.

If you distribute W-2 forms electronically or provide self service for your employees, follow these tips:

  1. Give employees a link instead of emailing a W-2 form. Most payroll providers include password-protected individual employee accounts as part of their service. Take advantage of these so that employees have to download their forms, rather than sending them via email.
  2. If you must email, be sure the email is encrypted. This prevents thieves from capturing the documents in transit. Send W-2 forms only to employee email accounts that you manage, not third-party accounts or free email services that are more easily compromised.
  3. Encourage employees to file early. Early filing is the best defense against a fraudulent claim, and criminals tend to file very early in the season.
  4. Beware of phishing and social engineering scams. Criminals may attempt to harvest W-2 forms by pretending to be accountants, representatives of online filing services such as TurboTax or state or Federal tax agents. Remember that no one will ever contact you by phone, email or text with a legitimate request for someone’s tax documents.
  5.  Warn employees of tax season scams. Send a reminder email that no one from the company and no legitimate government agent will ever contact them to ask for a copy of a W-2, and advise them to be careful responding to requests from trusted contacts, such as their own lawyers and accountants. Follow one simple rule whenever you receive a request for personal information: Call to verify.

Many employees and a large number of business professionals are unaware of the growing number of scams targeting tax documents. These forms contain one of the most valuable pieces of personal information: an individual’s Social Security number. If an attempt to steal employee tax forms from an organization succeeds, it must be treated as a data breach and reported to law enforcement. Employees will need to inform the Social Security Administration of the compromise as well.

W-2 theft is another aspect of phishing and social engineering that businesses can fight with cyber security awareness training. Our CSI Protection Certification succeeds where other programs fail by tapping into the personal desire employees have to keep their own data safe and showing them how those instincts apply in workplace situations. Contact us online to learn more or call us at 1-800-658-8311.

Protecting Yourself from Cyber Extortion

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You might not think that you could ever be a victim of cybercrimes, but you would be incorrect. You are just as much of a possible victim than anyone else, and you have to know how to protect yourself.

passwordOne of the easiest ways that hackers can get victims is to trick people into clicking links in emails or opening attachments. Something as simple as this can easily lead to viruses and other security issues, like ransomware, and no one is ready to deal with this.

Cyber extortion is on the rise, and it involves infecting a computer with ransomware, which means the victim will not be able to access their files unless they pay money via bitcoin to the attacker. This software is installed when the victims click on links in emails.

Many of these emails ask for information that is sensitive. If you get one of these emails, you should have alarm sounding off. If you don’t, you could, blindly, give the hacker information about you, such as your passwords, account numbers, or worse.

Extortion Prevention

Here are some things that you can do to prevent yourself from cyber extortion:

  • Install a password manager software
  • Don’t use the following in your passwords: words or names that are obviously yours, any keyword sequence (ZXCVB), any password under eight characters, or anything easy to guess.
  • Make sure every account has a unique password.
  • If an account offers it, enable two-factor authentication. Each time you try to log in, you cannot gain access to the account unless you insert a one time code, which is delivered to your phone via text. If someone contacts you and asks for a code like this, you should hear alarm bells in your head.
  • Create passwords with a mix of letters, symbols, and numbers. Randomly choose these like a toddler would if they were typing and add them to your password manager.
  • Don’t ever click on any link that comes to you via email unless you confirm its legitimacy with the sender. A single click might download a virus, or you might be directed to a site that can lure you into typing your username, password, and other information. A red flag that you might be at risk of doing this is if you get an email that says, “Your Account Was Suspended.”
  • Often, these emails seem like they come from a source you trust like PayPal, a bank, the IRS, or your employer.
  • You also might see a sense of urgency in these emails, such as “Act within 24 hours” or “You must…”
  • Don’t open any attachments including those from a person or company that claims they want to offer you a job.
  • Do not post any sensitive personal information on your social media accounts. Hackers can use this information to figure out login information.
  • Have a business email account and a personal one.
  • Don’t connect to public Wi-Fi and do anything like shopping or banking. If you don’t have a choice, you can browse by using a VPN, virtual private network.

Some of this might sound like a pain, or even inconvenient, but believe it or not, you are a target for hackers, and they are just waiting for you to take the bait.

Written by Robert Siciliano, CEO of Credit Parent, Head of Training & Security Awareness Expert at Protect Now, #1 Best Selling Amazon author, Media Personality & Architect of CSI Protection Certification.

Fake Emails are Becoming a Major Issue for Businesses

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You might be surprised to know that more than 3.4 billion fake emails are sent around the globe each day. What does this mean? It means that almost every company out there is vulnerable to cybercrimes in the form of “spoofing” and “phishing.” On top of this, most companies out there have not protected themselves from this type of cyber attack. What’s even more interesting is that the vast majority of these emails are not coming from some foreign land, but they are coming from sources based in the US.

This all sounds pretty dreary, but it’s not all bad. Research is showing that many industries in the US are making strides against these fake emails, though some are working harder than others.

To get the data for this research, companies like Valimail is using data from internal analysis of billions of different email authentication requests. The company also used almost 20 million public records about email to publish its report.

This report shows that email impersonation, which made up 1.2 percent of all emails sent during the first quarter of 2019, is the favorite weapon of cyber criminals to get access to a network. They also try to get access to sensitive information and intellectual property.

Fake emails are a problem, and they are not blocked by cybersecurity defenses that are traditionally used.

These fake emails are one of the biggest sources of cyberattacks. As more businesses recognize email vulnerabilities, organizations should start using authentication technology to protect against fraudulent and untrustworthy senders.

The fact is this: too many cybercriminals are using fake emails to get through these defenses, and better methods to identify senders is needed to make sure that email is more trustworthy both now and in the future.

Protect Yourself

  • The e-mails usually contain at least one link they want you to click. Hover your mouse to see what the URL is. It may appear legit, but note the “http” part.
  • Reputable sites for giant businesses, such as Microsoft and PayPal, will have an “https” in their URL. The phishing link’s URL will usually not have the “s.”
  • A big red flag is if there are typos or poorly constructed sentences, but a phishing e-mail may also have flawless text.
  • Don’t be fooled by company logos, stock imagery, privacy policies, phone numbers and other formalities in the message field. It’s so easy for a hacker to put these elements in there.
  • Be leery of warnings or alerts that don’t sound right. Gee, why would your account be “in danger of being suspended”?

ROBERT SICILIANO CSP, is a #1 Best Selling Amazon author, CEO of CreditParent.com, the architect of the CSI Protection certification; a Cyber Social and Identity Protection security awareness training program.

Protect Yourself From Gift Card Scams

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So maybe Christmas now means the very predictable gift card swap, but hey, who can’t use a gift card? But beware, there are a ton of scams. This includes physical, not just digital, gift cards.

Regardless of who gave you the card, you should always practice security measures. Below are two common ways that fraudsters operate.

Transform Gift Card to Cash Twice.

If someone gives you a $200 gift card to an electronics store and then it’s stolen, you technically have lost money, as this is the same as someone stealing a wad of cash from your pocket.

Nevertheless, you’ll feel the loss just as much. Crooks who steal gift cards have numerous ways of using them.

  • Joe Thief has plans on buying a $200 item with your stolen gift card from your gym locker.
  • But first he places an ad for the card online, pricing it at a big discount of $130 saying he doesn’t need anything, he just needs money.
  • Someone out there spots this deal and sends Joe the money via PayPal or Venmo.
  • Joe then uses the $200 gift card to buy an item and sells it on eBay
  • And he just netted $130 on selling a stolen gift card that he never shipped.

Infiltration of Online Gift Card Accounts

Joe Thief might also use a computer program called a botnet to get into an online gift card account.

  • You must log into your gift card account with characters.
  • Botnets also log into these accounts. Botnets are sent by Joe Thief to randomly guess your login characters with a brute force attack: a computerized creation of different permutations of numbers and letters – by the millions in a single attack.
  • The botnet just might get a hit – yours.

Here’s How to Protect Yourself

  • Be leery of deals posted online, in magazines or in person that seem too good to be true and are not advertised by reputable retailers.
  • Buy gift cards straight from the source.
  • Don’t buy gift cards at high traffic locations, at which it’s easier for Joe to conceal his tampering.
  • Change the card’s security code.
  • Create long and jumbled usernames and passwords to lessen the chance of a brute force hit.
  • The moment you suspect fraudulent activity, report it to the retailer.
  • Spend the card right away.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video.

How Your Username Can Be used to Track You

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You probably have a few usernames, or you might have just one that you use for every site. Either way, your user names can be used not just to identify you online, but it can also be used to track you and find out information about you. How do people track you based on your user name? They do the following:

They Start with a Google Search

The first thing people do to track your username is do a Google search. You will be amazed by all of the information that is out there. However, Google is not the only game in town, so the best scammers will search on other search engines, too, including Bing,  USA.gov, various information broker sites and within social media.

They Then Move on to Social Networks

With so many people on social networks, it is a good possibility that a scammer can find you there, too, especially if they know the username that you use over and over again. It’s easy to find someone on sites like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram, and in many cases, this is a gold mine of information for them.  Once they find your account, they can do any number of things like save your profile image, and then do a reverse image source. This often helps them find even more information.

Don’t Forget the Blogs

Savvy searchers will also do searches of a username on blogging sites like Tumblr, Blogger, and LiveJournal. Unless your blog is locked down, and most are not, they can read them.

Do a General Sweep of Username Searches

There are other sites, too, that allow people to search by username. For example, you can search for a username on Spotify. This could tell them what types of music you like. They also might look on a site like Reddit, and they can see any comments you have made. They aren’t done yet, though…you can even search for usernames on sites like Amazon.com and eBay. As you can imagine, once they go through all of these steps, they can know a ton about you.

You might think that this is an invasion of privacy, but all of this information is totally legal, totally available, and totally free.

And many of you are TOTALLY putting it ALL out there!

If you put your information out there, it is there for anyone to look at and use as they will. So, consider changing up your usernames, and while you are at it, take a look at your accounts and content to make sure nothing there’s going to get you in trouble, and beef up the security options.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of Identity Theft Privacy: Security Protection and Fraud Prevention: Your Guide to Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Computer Fraud. See him knock’em dead in this Security Awareness Training video.

ISPs invading Subscriber’s Privacy

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It’s hard to keep track of the news of politics these days, and even if you can, how do you know it’s even real? The political landscape has greatly changed since January, and there have been a lot of laws passed that will affect us all, including the repeal of a law that protected your privacy on the internet. Basically, with this repeal, your internet service provider, or ISP, can sell your browsing history to anyone.

If you use the internet, you will be affected by this law. Not only will this change allow your ISP sell your browsing history to the highest bidder, it could also make it easier than ever before to access information about your family, your finances, and your health. Your ISP can now sell this information to companies, and they don’t need your permission to do so.

So, what does this mean for you? After all, you might not think it really matters that much. In simple terms, it means that your ISP can collect data about your browsing habits, create a record of this, and then sell it to advertisers. Think about your browsing history yesterday. If you want, open it up right now from your browser. One minute, you might have been buying dog food on Amazon, and then next, reading the latest news from the Kardashians. Regardless of if you want advertisers to know that you are a Kardashian fan, or not, to them, your data is a gold mine.

Now, think about your browsing history over the past few weeks or months, and then consider that your ISP knows each and everything you have searched for. It knows about that weird smell coming from your laundry room that you checked out online, and it knows that you have listened to that catchy new pop song a few times. It also knows your deepest worries, your sexual preferences, your political leanings, and what you are feeding your family. This information is invaluable to advertisers, but do you really want it getting out?

Luckily, you have options, one of which is called a VPN, or Virtual Private Network, which will encrypt data. Some of these, such as Hotspot Shield VPN, a client, is a good option. Also, start paying attention to those cookies and delete them.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen. See him knock’em dead in this identity theft prevention video.

Consumers Have Given Up on Security

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According to a recent study, online security for most people is too bothersome. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology published the study, which shows that most people who use the internet have just given up and don’t follow the advice given to them about online security.

The result of this is that consumers are engaging in risky online behavior, and according to one survey participant, if “something happens, it is going to happen” and “it is not the end of the world.”

This is concerning to many, including security experts and survey authors. During this survey, approximately 40 people were interviewed in order to understand how those without a technical background feel about computer security. Though this isn’t a total significant sample size, it is a surprising look at how people feel about the information that experts are giving them. Each interview ran from 45 minutes to an hour, and the goal of the researchers was to find out where the average person stands on online security.

The authors of the report were surprised by the resignation of the interviewees during the survey. Essentially, they saw that people just can’t keep up with security changes. The survey participants, overall, believe that online security is too complex, and these people don’t see the benefits of making any efforts.

Some of the people who took the survey seemed to be under the impression that they didn’t have any information that a hacker would want. For example, one person claimed that they don’t work in a government agency and they don’t send sensitive information over email, so if a hacker wants to take their blueberry muffin recipe, they can go ahead and take it.

What’s interesting is what the study’s authors found when comparing those who had experienced identity theft with those who hadn’t. Those who have had an incident with the theft of their identity were much more focused on their online security.

To help the survey participants better understand their risks and to change their minds about internet security, study authors advise that those involved in technology and security must work diligently to help the people using the internet understand the dangers of lax security. They also must work to make it easy for internet users to do the best they can when keeping their accounts safe. It’s important for people who use the internet to make it a habit to remain more secure.

Robert Siciliano personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen. See him knock’em dead in this identity theft prevention video.

Parents legally can spy on their Kids

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Just because something is legal, does that mean you should do it? In the case of spying on your kids’ phone activities, some say yes. Though the very same mode of operation is illegal in most states when the eavesdropper is your boss or anyone else and you’re the “eavesdropee,” this same mechanism is legal and encouraged for parents to their kids.

12DYou’re probably envisioning a parent listening in on their boy-crazy teen daughter’s phone conversation. But it’s more than that.

According to a nydailynews.com article, the Court of Appeals in New York ruled that secretly listening in on and even recording a cellphone conversation is legal—after a man recorded a cellphone conversation involving his five-year-old son. The child’s mother’s boyfriend, over the phone, threatened to beat him.

Dad acted in good faith when he wired the phone, and the slime who made the threat, was convicted on three counts. But his attorney claimed that the eavesdropping was illegal and thus, the conversation was not admissible.

The judge in this case pointed out that not all cases come in template form inside a black box. But can a parent eavesdrop on an older child who’s cognizant enough to rationally protest? Again, we can’t apply a cookie cutter to this concept. But in New York, it’s legal to conduct this practice, with the assumption that the parent is acting in the best interest of the minor.

In another case, points out the article, a woman inserted a tape recorder in her autistic son’s backpack to pick up the suspected verbal abuse from the boy’s bus matron.

The line can be very fuzzy over just when it’s ethical for a parent to tap a child’s phone conversations and when it’s done for more self-serving reasons, such as in divorce cases. Again, it’s legal in New York, because it was determined that the potential benefits far outweigh the potential grievances.

At least 12 other states, though, are on board with this doctrine of vicarious consent, including New Jersey, Texas, Arizona, Maine and the Carolinas. Hopefully, not too many parents will abuse this legal right and end up eavesdropping for the fun of it or to show off their “power” as the adult in charge.

But that fact is, kids can get into lots of trouble with their physical and digital lives if their parents are unaware of what’s going on.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to BestIDTheftCompanys.com discussing identity theft prevention.

Three Quarters of a Billion Records breached

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Last year, says the security firm Gemalto, over 700 million records were breached. Or, to put it another way, this translates to two million stolen or lost records every day.

3D2015 Breach Level Report

  • 1,673 hacking incidents
  • 398 were triggered from the inside of the attacked company: employees and even IT staff who were tricked (social engineering) by hackers into clicking on malicious links or attachments
  • Government agencies suffered the greatest data leaks.
  • Following that were nation states and healthcare enterprises (remember the big Anthem breach?)

Gemalto also says that the U.S. is the leading target of cyber attacks, with the UK, Canada and Australia following behind in that order. But don’t let Australia’s fourth place standing fool you. It reports only 42 publically reported incidents, while the U.S. has reportedly had 1,222.

How can you tell your computer has been compromised by an attack?

  • Your computer is running slowly; you’re not simply being impatient—the device really is moving at a crawl. This is a possible sign the computer is infected.
  • Another possible sign of infection: Programs open up without you making them, as though they have a mind of their own.

Protecting Your Computer

  • First and foremost, businesses need to rigorously put their employees through training. This includes staged phishing attacks to see if any employees can be tricked into revealing sensitive company information. Training for workers must be ongoing, not just some annual seminar. A company could have the best security software and smartest IT staff, but all it takes is one less-than-mindful employee to let in the Trojan horse.
  • If you receive an e-mail with a link or attachment, never rush to open them. Pause. Take a few breaths. Count to 10. No matter what the subject line says, there is always plenty of time to make sure an e-mail is from a legitimate sender before opening any attachments or clicking any links.
  • Use firewall and anti-virus software and keep them updated.
  • Use a virtual private network to scramble your online activities when you’re using public Wi-Fi so that cyber snoopers see only scrambling.
  • Use the most recent version of your OS and browser.
  • Regularly back up your data.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to BestIDTheftCompanys.com discussing identity theft prevention.

2016 Information Security Predictions

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No bones about it, 2016 is sure to see some spectacular, news-chomping data breaches, predicts many in infosec. If you thought 2015 was interesting, get your seatbelt and helmet on and prepare for lift off…

4WWearable Devices

Cyber crooks don’t care what kind of data is in that little device strapped around your upper arm while you exercise, but they’ll want to target it as a passageway to your smartphone. Think of wearables as conduits to your personal life.

Firmware/Hardware

No doubt, assaults on firmware and hardware are sure to happen.

Ransomware

Not only will this kind of attack continue, but an offshoot of it—“I will infect someone’s device with ransomware for you for a reasonable price”—will likely expand.

The Cloud

Let’s not forget about cloud services, which are protected by security structures that cyber thieves will want to attack. The result could mean wide-scale disruption for a business.

The Weak Links

A company’s weakest links are often their employees when it comes to cybersecurity. Companies will try harder than ever to put in place the best security systems and hire the best security personnel in their never-ending quest for fending off attacks—but the weak links will remain, and cyber crooks know this. You can bet that many attacks will be driven towards employees’ home systems as portals to the company’s network.

Linked Stolen Data

The black market for stolen data will be even more inviting to crooks because the data will be in sets linked together.

Cars, et al

Let’s hope that 2016 (or any year, actually) won’t be the year that a cyber punk deliberately crashes an Internet connected van carrying a junior high school’s soccer team. Security experts, working with automakers, will crack down on protection strategies to keep cyber attacks at bay.

Threat Intelligence Sharing

Businesses and security vendors will do more sharing of threat intelligence. In time, it may be feasible for the government to get involved with sharing this intelligence. Best practices will need hardcore revisions.

Transaction Interception

It’s possible: Your paycheck, that’s been directly deposited into your bank for years, suddenly starts getting deposited into a different account—that belonging to a cyber thief. Snatching control of a transaction (“integrity attack”) means that the thief will be able to steal your money or a big business’s money.

Robert Siciliano is an identity theft expert to TheBestCompanys.com discussing  identity theft prevention.