08/11/2026
🚨 Think before you click. Phishing scams are getting harder to spot.
The IRS and Security Summit partners are warning taxpayers and tax professionals about increasingly sophisticated phishing schemes designed to steal passwords, financial information, Social Security numbers and other sensitive data.
⚠️ Five scams to watch for:
🎣 Phishing & smishing — Fraudulent emails or texts designed to get you to click a link, download a file or share personal information.
🎯 Spear phishing — Highly targeted messages created to look legitimate and specifically tailored to you or your business.
📧 Clone phishing — Copies of legitimate emails with links or attachments replaced by malicious ones.
🐋 Whaling — Scams targeting executives, business leaders, payroll teams and others with access to valuable information.
👤 Fake new-client inquiries — Scammers pose as prospective clients and send malicious links or attachments to tax professionals.
One of the best defenses? Slow down. Be cautious of unexpected messages, urgent requests, unfamiliar attachments and email addresses or website domains that are just slightly different from the real thing.
🔐 Protect your accounts with strong security practices, including multi-factor authentication, updated antivirus software, regular backups and data encryption.
When something doesn’t look right, don’t click.