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Be Aware of Business Email Compromise Hacks and Phishing Attempts

We have been seeing an increase in criminal cyber-fraud schemes affecting both large and small businesses, individuals and banks. With the increase in remote work, online payments and email usage, a common fraud we are seeing more of is criminals are using a Business Email Compromise (BEC) hack as a way of posing as the company sending the invoice to the recipient, then upon payment, the payors account gets drained with little to no trace of the criminal tied to the fraud.

So how does it work and what is a BEC?

Business email compromise (BEC) or “phishing” is a technique used to gain access to your company email so criminals can impersonate a co-worker, manager or other trusted business partner to steal sensitive data and money. With access to your business email accounts, criminals can steal money through fraudulent wire transfer requests, fake invoices, diverting payroll and more. Protecting your email is essential. BEC emails usually contain no malware and are therefore difficult to detect with common email filtering means.

How does a typical BEC scam work?

A common technique is email spoofing. Email spoofing occurs when the email appears to be sent by a […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2022-11-09T21:50:15+00:00November 9th, 2022|IT|0 Comments

Client Alert: Beware of Payment Instructions Over Email

We have been seeing an increase in criminal cyber-fraud schemes affecting both large and small businesses, individuals and banks. With the increase in remote work, online payments and email usage, a common fraud we are seeing more of is criminals are using a Business Email Compromise (BEC) hack as a way of posing as the company sending the invoice to the recipient, then upon payment, the payors account gets drained with little to no trace of the criminal tied to the fraud.

So how does it work and what is a BEC?

Business email compromise (BEC) or “phishing” is a technique used to gain access to your company email so criminals can impersonate a co-worker, manager or other trusted business partner to steal sensitive data and money. With access to your business email accounts, criminals can steal money through fraudulent wire transfer requests, fake invoices, diverting payroll and more. Protecting your email is essential. BEC emails usually contain no malware and are therefore difficult to detect with common email filtering means.

How does a typical BEC scam work?

A common technique is email spoofing. Email spoofing occurs when the email appears to be sent by […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2021-01-13T19:10:32+00:00January 13th, 2021|fraud|0 Comments

Watch Out for Tax-Related Scams

“Thousands of people have lost millions of dollars and their personal information to tax scams,” according to the IRS. Criminals can contact victims through regular mail, telephone calls and email messages. Here are just two of the scams the tax agency has seen in recent months.

Fake property liens. A tax bill is sent from a fictional government agency in the mail. The fake agency may have a legitimate sounding name such as the Bureau of Tax Enforcement. The bill is accompanied by a letter threatening an IRS lien or levy based on bogus overdue taxes. (A levy is a legal seizure of property to satisfy a tax debt. A lien is a legal claim against your property to secure payment of your tax debt.)
Phony calls from the IRS. In this scam, criminals impersonating IRS employees call people and tell them that, if they don’t pay back taxes they owe, they will face arrest. The thieves then demand that the taxpayers pay their tax debts with a gift card, other prepaid cards or a wire transfer.

Important reminders

If you receive a text, letter, email or phone call […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:03:35+00:00October 8th, 2019|irs|0 Comments

Don’t Fall for the IRS Scams Out There

Scammers, claiming to be IRS agents, threatening arrest and jail time if you don’t pay them immediately for overdue “balances” are on the rise. If you haven’t received a call yourself, chances are you will at some point or you know someone who has. and unfortunately, these scams will probably continue and increase over time. Now, it might be daunting to receive a phone call from John Smith at the IRS office, claiming the cops are on your way to your house to arrest you if you don’t make an immediate payment over the phone to them, but rest easy knowing that a) the IRS isn’t going to call you (they are old school), you’ll get a letter in the mail or maybe a fax, and b) they aren’t going to send you an email demanding payment (see https://www.irs.gov/uac/irs-and-security-summit-partners-warn-of-fake-tax-bill-emails ).

To read an interesting story about one person, who worked his way through the cycle of the IRS phone scams to get answers: http://www.vox.com/first-person/2016/10/18/13276464/irs-scam-phone-cartoon

See what the IRS has to say on the continuing issue of phone and email scams:

https://www.irs.gov/uac/newsroom/phone-scams-continue-to-be-a-serious-threat-remain-on-irs-dirty-dozen-list-of-tax-scams-for-the-2016-filing-season

Stay vigilant and if you ever have questions about an email or phone call you’ve received, feel free […]

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:05:02+00:00November 15th, 2016|irs|0 Comments

Beware: IRS Scams in Full Swing

Does the above email look familiar? Hope not, because what might look like a legit email from the IRS is nothing more than another phishing attempt by people looking to collect personal information, credit cards and more. The emails contain what may appear to be an IRS email address, along with their logo (easily found online), but the fact is, you will never receive an email like this. The IRS isn’t in the business of sending emails. In the past, some people have also received phone calls from “the IRS” saying they owe back taxes and if they don’t provide a credit card or wire transfer, the police will be called to seize property. These fraudulent “IRS agents” tend to have heavy accents, blocked numbers and attempt to instill fear in those they speak to, in exchange for credit cards, bank account numbers and other information. Once again, that isn’t how the IRS operates. And should you ever receive an email or a call like that, disregard. If you are convinced it’s legit, call your Linkenheimer CPA and we will work with you to resolve any confusion.

By Linkenheimer LLP|2020-09-03T20:05:32+00:00February 17th, 2015|fraud, irs|0 Comments