The Internal Revenue Service and its partners in the public and private sectors are planning to highlight the importance of cybersecurity next week.
The 9th annual National Tax Security Awareness Week is slated for Dec. 2–6 by members of the
With the holiday shopping season now underway and tax season approaching in January, the Security Summit partners are encouraging taxpayers and tax professionals to take extra steps to protect their financial and tax information. During the holiday season, consumers and tax professionals face the heightened risk of identity theft as criminals ramp up efforts to trick people into sharing sensitive personal information including through email, text message and social media scams and schemes. Identity thieves can use this information to try filing false tax returns and stealing refunds.
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
“We are entering into a critical period where taxpayers need to be extra careful protecting their valuable information,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel in a statement. “Scams and schemes are quickly evolving. Extra caution by people during the holiday season and the upcoming filing season will be essential to avoid being a victim. By being aware of the risks, taxpayers can protect themselves, their families and their communities. Vigilant taxpayers are on the front lines of the larger efforts by the Security Summit partners to strengthen the tax system against identity theft and tax scams.”
As the IRS and its Security Summit partners have strengthened their systems, identity thieves have turned their attention to stealing underlying tax and financial information from taxpayers, businesses and tax professionals in hopes of slipping authentic-looking tax returns through the defenses.
To counter this threat to individuals and businesses, National Tax Security Awareness Week features a week-long series of educational efforts by the Summit partners to educate and inform taxpayers and tax professionals. The week will focus on how to defend against identity theft and other scams, including inaccurate social media information. This year’s campaign includes:
- Daily press releases and Tax Tips during the week of Dec. 2 highlighting specific issues that can protect taxpayers and tax professionals from identity theft and tax schemes;
- Social media awareness on X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Follow
@IRSTaxSecurity ,@IRSnews and #TaxSecurity on X for the latest information; - Special educational materials, including e-posters and IRS publications, will also be available to share information not just during the special week but the upcoming filing season; and,
- Dozens of information-sharing sessions by IRS Stakeholder Liaisons with local tax professional groups and community events.
The IRS and its partners noted that identity thieves often impersonate the IRS and others in the tax community using fake emails, texts and online scams. They may exploit recent tragedies or imitate charitable groups to coax people into sharing sensitive financial data, which can lead to tax-related identity theft.
There has been an increase of these activities on social media, including inaccurate tax advice that continues to mislead taxpayers. To help counter this, many of the Security Summit partners have joined together to form the Coalition Against Scam and Scheme Threats, which will be increasingly active during the upcoming tax season.
“This special security week highlights ongoing threats against taxpayers and their information,” said Sharonne Bonardi, executive director of the Federation of Tax Administrators, in a statement. “State tax agencies are deeply committed to proactive fraud detection and prevention, and ensuring taxpayers and the revenue system are protected is a top priority for us and our Security Summit Partners. The National Tax Security Awareness Week provides important information to help in the ongoing battle against identity theft that we encourage you to read and share with others.”
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