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Cyber Risks · Krebs on Security

IRS Scam Leverages Hacked Tax Preparers, Client Bank Accounts

Summary: Identity thieves hacked online accounts at multiple tax preparation firms and used them to file phony refund requests, so the IRS deposited money into the bank accounts of the firms' clients. The crooks then called those clients posing as a collection agency called DebtCredit, threatening criminal charges if the money was not forwarded, and Oklahoma Bankers Association fraud chief Elaine Dodd said a half dozen Oklahoma banks had customers who received large Treasury deposits they never applied for.

Key Takeaway: The scam turns a hacked preparer into a two-way door: as Dodd put it, if crooks can send money to the client, they can pull money out of those accounts too, and the phony site displayed recipients' names, Social Security numbers, and full bank routing and account numbers.

Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗

Topics
Fraud & Scams
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