Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2017)
12 A SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2017 W-2 phishing scam targets schools, hospitals, others together as the Security Summit, have enacted numer- ous safeguards in 2016 and 2017 to identify fraudulent returns filed through scams like this. As the Summit partners make progress, cybercriminals need more data to mimic real tax returns. Here’s how the scam works: Cybercriminals use various spoofing techniques to disguise an email to make it appear as if it is from an organization exec- utive. The email is sent to an employee in the payroll or human resources departments, requesting a list of all employ- ees and their Forms W-2. This scam is sometimes referred to as business email compromise (BEC) or business email spoofing (BES). The Security Summit part- ners urge all employers to be vigilant. The W-2 scam, which first appeared last year, is circu- lating earlier in the tax season and to a broader cross-section of organizations. These organi- zations include school districts, tribal casinos, chain restau- rants, temporary staffing agen- cies, healthcare and shipping and freight. Those businesses that received the scam email last year also are reportedly receiv- ing it again this year. Security Summit partners warned of this scam’s reappear- ance last week but have seen an upswing in reports in recent days. In the latest twist, the cyber- criminal follows up with an “executive” email to the payroll or comptroller and asks that a wire transfer also be made to a certain account. Although not tax related, the wire transfer scam is being cou- pled with the W-2 scam email, and some companies have lost both employees’ W-2s and thousands of dollars due to wire transfers. The IRS, states and tax industry urge all employers to share information with their payroll, finance and human resources employees about this W-2 and wire transfer scam. Employers should consider creating an internal policy, if one is lacking, on the distribu- tion of employee W-2 informa- tion and conducting wire trans- fers. Organizations receiving a W- 2 scam email should forward it to phishing@irs.gov and place “W2 Scam” in the subject line. Organizations that receive the scams or fall victim to them should file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center operated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Employees whose Forms W- 2 have been stolen should review the recommended actions by the Federal Trade Commission at www.identi- tytheft.gov or the IRS at www.irs.gov/identitytheft. Employees should file a Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit, if the employee’s own tax return gets rejected because of a duplicate Social Security number or if instructed to do so by the IRS. The W-2 scam is just one of several new variations that have appeared in the past year that focus on the large-scale thefts of sensitive tax informa- tion from tax preparers, busi- nesses and payroll companies. Individual taxpayers also can be targets of phishing scams, but cybercriminals seem to have evolved their tactics to focus on mass data thefts.I n addition to avoiding email scams during the tax season, taxpayers and tax preparers should be leery of using search engines to find technical help with taxes or tax software. Selecting the wrong “tech support” link could lead to a loss of data or an infected com- puter. Also, software “tech sup- port” will not call users ran- domly; this is a scam. Taxpayers searching for a paid tax professional for tax help can use the IRS Choosing a Tax Professional lookup tool or if taxpayers need free help they can review the Free Tax Return Preparation Programs. Taxpayers searching for tax software can use Free File, which offers 12 brand-name products for free, at www.irs.gov/freefile. Taxpayer or tax preparers looking for tech support for their software products should go directly to the provider’s web page. Tax professionals also should beware of ongoing scams related to IRS e- Services. Thieves are trying to use IRS efforts to make e-Services more secure to send emails asking e- Services users to update their accounts. Their objective is to steal e- Services users’ credentials to access these important services. Brought to you by this newspaper in partnership with PUBLIC NOTICES Always in your newspaper: Now in your inbox, too. See Jim for your auto sales needs! I f n o b o d y k n o w s w h a t ’ s g o i n g o n , n o b o d y c a n d o a n y t h i n g a b o u t i t . That Th T h at at’s ’ s w hy ’s y w e ke e ep e p s sa a y in ay ing g y ourr l loc ocal al and sta tate te g ovv er e nm m en n t shou sh h ou o u l ld d k eep e e p ee p u bl pu b is ishi hing ng g t the heir ir p pub ub b lil i c no noti ticess in n t the he n newsp spap aper er.. No N o w yo you o u ca c an st t ay a y i inf n for nf o rm or me d AND med me AN N D kee e p th h o s e pu pub b l icc n ot o t ic c es e s in th t h e n e ws ne w pa p a pe p er. r J Ju u st t g o to o p u ub b li i cn n ot o tic t i ceads ds.com ds o /o /or, sig gn u up p f for or t h he e f fr re r e e Sm m a ar r t tS S e ea a rc r c h se e rvic rvv ic c e, e , an nd ge get e t al a l l o of f t hi hiss p pa a pe e r r’ ’ s pu bl b l lic i c n ic not ottic i es s del d el e iv i er ered ed t o you yo o u vi v i a em m ai ail.l 2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence (541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475 Together, Wes Wells and I have served the Florence Area for the past 12 years through our family owned business, Wells Tree & Landscape. We have three children who attend Mapleton High School; Dominic Wells, Haley Wells, and Alyssa West. I recently earned my Oregon Real Estate Brokers license to further help our community. I am eager to share my knowledge of the local area with newcomers and serve local residents in the sale of their home. Vanessa West, Broker Windermere/ Florence Real Estate 3757 Hwy 101, Suite A Florence, OR 97439 Windermere/Florence Real Estate Cel1: (541)999-9778 • Offi ce:(541)997-5926 • Fax: (541)997-5992 vwest@windermere.com • vanessawest.withwre.com I WILL HEAR BETTER THIS YEAR • Full Diagnostic Hearing Testing • Hearing Aid Fitting, Repair, and Service • The Only Doctors of Audiology in Florence Call Today to Schedule Your Appointment 541.991.4475 FLORENCE 1525 12th St, Ste 2 HEARING ASSOCIATES Your Home Search Inv est in Your Family’s Future! Call Mike and Wanda- We are your friends in the real estate business. We will help you all along the way through the process of getting your fi rst home, your dream home, or your investment property. Wanda Johnson, Broker Cell: 541-999-1670 wanda@cbcoast.com HearingAssociatesOfFlorence.com Member of Coldwell Banker International President’s Circle Want to Sell? Call Mike and Wanda TODAY! Want to Buy? Call Mike and Wanda! Mike Johnson , Broker & Gen Contractor- Cell: 541-999-0836 mike@cbcoast.com Wanda Johnson, Broker Cell: 541-999-1670 wanda@cbcoast.com Member of Coldwell Banker International President’s Circle Mike Johnson , Broker & Gen Contractor- Cell: 541-999-0836 mike@cbcoast.com C OAST R EAL E STATE 100 Hwy 101, Florence OR 97439 www.cbcoast.com Current offers & todays low mortgage rates make owning a home easier and more affordable than ever! Handled With Care of Florence “We FOCUS on meeting your Real Estate needs”. publicnoticeads.com/or C OAST R EAL E STATE 100 Hwy 101, Florence OR 97439 www.cbcoast.com CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK The Internal Revenue Service, state tax agencies and the tax industry issued an urgent alert Moday to all employers, informing them that the Form W-2 email phishing scam has evolved beyond the corporate world and is spread- ing to other sectors, including school districts, tribal organiza- tions and nonprofits. In a related development, the W-2 scammers are coupling their efforts to steal employee W-2 information with an older scheme on wire transfers that is victimizing some organizations twice. “This is one of the most dan- gerous email phishing scams we’ve seen in a long time,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “It can result in the large-scale theft of sensitive data that criminals can use to commit various crimes, includ- ing filing fraudulent tax returns. “We need everyone’s help to turn the tide against this scheme.’’ When employers report W-2 thefts immediately to the IRS, the agency can take steps to help protect employees from tax-related identity theft. The IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry, working
