Two Ways Tax Scammers Might Target You

It’s that time of year — tax time. It’s also a great time to get up to speed on tax-related scams. Here are two ways tax scammers might target you and what you can do about it:

The following information is provided by the IRS.gov website in an effort to get the word out regarding tax identity theft which is drastically increasing every year. 

Tax identity theft

This kind of identity theft happens when someone files a fake tax return using your personal information — like your Social Security number — to get a tax refund. Tax identity theft also happens when someone uses your Social Security number to get a job. You find out about it when you get a letter from the IRS saying:

·      more than one tax return was filed in your name, or

·      IRS records show wages from an employer you don’t know

If you get a letter like this, contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 800-908-4490. You can find more about tax identity theft at ftc.gov/taxidtheft and irs.gov/identitytheft.

Worst Passwords for 2015

SplashData just released its annual list of the most popular passwords of  2015. They took a look at the more than 2 million passwords that were leaked last year and analyzed the most commonly leaked passwords and those that were least secure. If you're curious to see if your password(s) made the list check out the list here: worst passwords for 2015.  

It appears that folks still are not using good passwords.  The most common

are still "123456" and "password". (Anyone want to admit they are in this group?) The report shows how common choices for passwords remain consistently risky. And if that were not bad enough, there is a high number of repeat userid and passwords for multiple sites.  

I Still Have A Dream

Monday January 18th is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

Wikipedia describes Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as an American Baptist minister, activist, humanitarian, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. 

We celebrate this day in memory of his efforts for freedom and equal rights for all people. In his now famous speech "I have a dream"  Dr. King spoke of Abraham Lincoln, the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Declaration of Independence.  He follows that with a list of his dreams, dreams for equality, brotherhood and freedom.

Cyberterrorism - You Are A Soft Target

Last month, it was reported that an Iranian hactavist group, SOBH Cyber Jihad, accessed the controls of a dam in upstate New York in 2013.

This cyber attack was supposedly in response to the "Stuxnet" virus used by the US and the Israelis to destroy the Iranian centrifuges that enrich uranium.  This Cyber Jihad attack was a shot across the bow, announcing that anyone, not just US or Israeli computer experts, can play this game.

This Is Serious

Cyber warfare is real and is being waged every day.  It's serious.  And it's not just government facilities that are being attacked.