Every tax professional in the United States — whether a member of a major accounting firm or an owner of a one-person storefront — is a potential target for highly sophisticated, well-funded and technologically adept cybercriminals around the world.
Their objective: to steal your clients’ data so they can file fraudulent tax returns that better impersonate their victims and are harder to detect. Their tactics: using email, the phone or other means to trick you into giving up computer passwords, e-Services passwords, to steal your EFINs or CAF numbers or even to take remote control of your entire computer system.
Protecting client data also is the law. Federal Trade Commission regulations require professional tax preparers to create and enact security plans to protect client data. Review IRS Publication 4557, Safeguarding Taxpayer Data, for details and security recommendations. Also, see IRS Publication 5293, Data Theft Resource Guide for Tax Professionals PDF, for a roundup of IRS.gov information.
No one can fight this crime alone. It takes all of us, working together. That is why the Security Summit — the unprecedented partnership between the IRS, state tax agencies, and the private-sector tax industry — came together to form a united and coordinated front against this common enemy. And, that’s why the Summit partners — through the “Protect Your Clients, Protect Yourself” awareness campaign — are asking tax professionals nationwide to join this effort.
Stay connected
To stay up to date on the latest threats and scams, bookmark and follow this page. You also should register for e-News for tax professionals or, if you are an e-Services user, register for QuickAlerts to stay atop latest news and threats. Follow us on social media at Twitter.com/IRStaxpros, Twitter.com/IRSNews and Facebook.com/IRStaxpros.
Events and campaigns
- Protect Your Clients; Protect Yourself — Summer 2024
- National Tax Security Awareness Week 2023
- Dirty Dozen tax scams
- Taxes. Security. Together.
- Protect Your Clients; Protect Yourself, Summer 2023
- Protect Your Clients; Protect Yourself, Summer 2022
- National Tax Security Awareness Week 2023, November 27-December 1, 2023
- National Tax Security Awareness Week 2022, November 28–December 2, 2022
- Working Virtually: Protecting Tax Data at Home and at Work, Summer 2020
- Tax Security 2.0 – The “Taxes-Security-Together” Checklist, Summer 2019
- IRS Security Awareness tax tips
News releases and scam alerts
- IR-2024-224, Security Summit partners conclude special campaign with reminders to protect tax professionals from identity theft, security threats
- IR-2024-218, IRS, Security Summit highlight “Security Six” and key steps for tax pros to protect themselves
- IR-2024-201, Multi-factor authentication: Key protection to tax professionals’ security arsenal now required
- IR-2024-200, Security Summit: Identity Protection PINs, IRS Online Account protect against tax-related identity theft
- IR-2024-193, Security Summit urges tax pros to watch out for identity theft red flags
- IR-2024-183, New, evolving scams threaten tax professionals; Security Summit warns extra attention needed on trending threats that could affect businesses, clients
- IR-2024-180, Tax pros continue to be targeted by identity thieves; IRS, Security Summit urge continued vigilance against evolving threats as special summer education series, Nationwide Tax Forums begin
- IR-2023-147, Security Summit: IRS reminds tax pros to plan, protect, defend against identity theft; special summer series concludes with important reminders
- IR-2023-143, Security Summit reminder: Identity theft red flags tax pros should know
- IR-2023-138, Security Summit: Tax pros should remain vigilant against phishing emails and cloud-based attacks
- IR-2023-134, Security Summit: Identity Protection PINs are an important tool against tax-related identity theft
- IR-2023-129, Specially designed Security Summit plan helps tax pros protect data; summer security series begins
- IR-2023 -124, IRS, Security Summit announce special summer series as Nationwide Tax Forums begin; tax pros should remain vigilant against identity theft amid continued threats
- IR-2022-151, Security Summit: Tax pros can help clients battle identity theft risk
- IR-2022-147, Security Summit releases new data security plan to help tax professionals; new WISP simplifies complex area
- IR-2022-144, Security Summit: Tell-tale signs of identity theft tax pros should watch for
- IR-2022-143, Security Summit warns tax pros of evolving email and cloud-based schemes to steal taxpayer data
- IR-2022-140, Security Summit: Identity Protection PINs provide an important defense against tax-related identity theft
- IR-2022-135, IRS Security Summit renews warnings for tax pros to guard against identity theft amid continued threats
- IR-2021-144, IRS wraps up its 2021 "Dirty Dozen" scams list with warning about promoted abusive arrangements
- IR-2021-137, IRS urges caution with email, social media and phones as part of "Dirty Dozen" series
- IR-2021-34, IRS, Summit partners issue urgent EFIN scam alert to tax professionals
- IR-2021-24, IRS offers guidance to taxpayers on identity theft involving unemployment benefits
- IR-2020-71, IRS, Security Summit partners warn tax professionals on scams, urge additional security measures to protect taxpayer data
- IR-2020-65, Follow IRS on social media, sign up for e-News subscriptions for urgent updates on COVID-19, scams and economic impact payment information
- IR-2020-52, Get up-to-date information including the annual IRS "Dirty Dozen" with IRS e-News Subscriptions
- IR-2020-32, IRS urges tax professionals, taxpayers to protect tax software accounts with multi-factor authentication
- IR-2020-27, IRS launches Identity Theft Central
- IR-2020-17, IRS: Don’t be victim to "ghost" tax return preparers
- IR-2019-145, Security Summit warns of new IRS impersonation email scam; reminds taxpayers the IRS does not send unsolicited emails
- IR-2019-101, IRS takes additional steps to protect taxpayer data; plans to end faxing and third-party mailings of certain tax transcripts
- IR-2019-66, IRS, Security Summit partners mark significant progress against identity theft; key taxpayer protection trends continue
- IR-2019-58, IRS revises EIN application process; seeks to enhance security
- IR-2019-50, IRS announces arrests and indictments after two-week campaign to fight refund fraud and identity theft
- IR-2019-30, Identity theft remains on IRS’ "Dirty Dozen" list despite progress
- IR-2019-26, IRS kicks off annual list of most prevalent tax scams: Agency warns taxpayers of pervasive phishing schemes in its ‘Dirty Dozen’ campaign
Fact sheets
Videos
Publications
- Publication 5461-D, Tax professionals should review their security protocols PDF
- Publication 5709, How to Create a Written Information Security Plan for Data Safety PDF
- Publication 4557, Safeguarding Taxpayer Data
- Publication 5293, Data Theft Resource Guide for Tax Professionals PDF
- NIST Publication NISTIR 7621, Small Business Information Security – The Fundamentals PDF
- Publication 4524, Security Awareness for Taxpayers PDF
Related
- Data theft information for tax professionals – What to do if you become a victim
- Identity theft information for tax professionals – How to protect yourself and your clients
- Identity Theft Central
- Security Summit