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Cyber-Crooks Have Their Act Together This Tax Season

by Abby Seiff on March 14, 2011 at 04:10 PM

tax formsAs if tax season weren't enough of a headache, security experts are warning that this year may be an unusually perilous one for those who file online. Between realistic-looking sites and e-mails, cyber-criminals have been on the malware warpath. Download a phony IRS form, and you may begin unwittingly sharing your Social Security number, address and other personal data.

Jeff Horne, Webroot's director of threat research, told the Wall Street Journal that an e-mail account he set up as bait in November has received more than one million fake tax-related e-mails. The Journal notes a number of commonsense ways to protect yourself, like don't download documents that are supposedly from the government, and wipe your hard drive of sensitive material. Maybe it's just time to spring for an accountant.

Tags: malware, newsmain, security, taxes, top, webroot

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