Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood this week warned of scammers targeting a wide range of organizations attempting to collect W-2 data that can be used to file fraudulent tax returns.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) says scammers are now combining two common scams into one.
Hood’s office said in a press release that criminals will first send an email to an employee in human resources, appearing to be from the company CEO or another corporate executive, requesting copies of the W-2 forms of all employees. Scammers then request to transfer a large sum of money to a bank account.
“We have received calls and reports to our office this week from entities whose employees have fallen for this type of scam,” Hood said. “Employees who would have W2 information, such as accounting or human resources personnel, are particularly susceptible to this scam. All types of organizations are possible targets, including schools, healthcare organizations, nonprofits, and private businesses.”
The release cited data from the Federal Trade Commission, which showed tax refund fraud increased by nearly 50 percent in 2015. The IRS has warned that criminals have started tax refund scams much earlier than in previous years.
Consumers who need to report information about a phishing scam or any tax-related scam should contact the Consumer Protection Division of the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office at (800) 281-4418.