New scam to be aware of

[kathyc2]

Just received an email from "Karen"  that says "I have uploaded my 2023 tax documents in the workdrive below secure link, please look through it, and let me know if you need any additional  information. Also will it cost the same as the last."

I'm small enough that I know all my clients and didn't fall for it.  Those that deal in volume returns or have staff beware!
 

[joanmcq]

I've been getting a ton of these.  They're easy to tell they are a scam.  Then there are the ones that are kinda vague but could be from potential clients.  Those I will respond saying I'm not taking new clients.

Then there is the one in a hundred that says:

(a paragraph on how they found me)  "We registered as domestic partners in January 2023 in Massachusetts, moved to AZ for June and July, and California from August on. My partner just has MA income to report (quit job to go to law school), I have the same job/w-2 but taxed in all 3 states. TurboTax full service couldn’t cover RDP / community property rules in CA and we are pretty lost on our own! "  Closing paragraph.

I pick them up as clients.  I'm a sucker for a sob story.

 

 

[Margaret CPA in OH]

LOTS of these!  But I just hover over the email address or compare the email address with the Reply to address and invariably they're not remotely related.

[Lee B]

Interesting, I received one last year but I haven't received a single one this year

[NECPA in NEBRASKA]

I get a ton, but I always can tell that they are coming through my website, because that is my only public email. I got a really detailed one yesterday about my website images violating copyright laws, blah, blah, blah. I just deleted it. The funny thing was that I had just notified the new owner that bought the website provider that I would not be renewing and it would be coming down 3/31.

[Catherine]

We'll get one on occasion. Many times the email address is junk. Sometimes it will be something like "Joseph Smith, [email protected]" and if you look up smithcorp dot com there is no site. Junk!

[Lee B]

Well, I just received my first one for this year in my spam folder

[Abby Normal]

Not new. I remember getting these 7 or 8 years ago. One pretended to be from a legal firm in town, that I did some work for. I called to be sure and it was not from them.

[jklcpa]

I received an email with a pdf attachment this morning from "Department of Public" stating that the FTC has evidence that my SSN has been used in NM and TX for international wire transfers to blacklisted bank accounts. The sender's email addy is some gibberish through gmail. 

I never click links in email or open attachments, but unfortunately when I moved my phone out of the dog's way as he tried to jump on me, I touched close enough to it on the screen this this morning to open it. 

[Margaret CPA in OH]

Yikes!  I hope you managed to shut down everything with lightening speed.  Several years ago something similar happened to me and the computer guy said to just shut down everything and bring it in.  He checked it all out and said I was lucky.  I hope you are, too!

[BrewOne]

Beth Logan remarked that she never opens email on her work computer and with Judy's episode, I'm thinking of doing the same thing.  Not sure how inconvenient that will be, but I'm going to give it a try.

[Abby Normal]

Simply viewing an email will not infect your computer. However, clicking on links or opening attachments can. Even when I get an email from a a company I do business with, I don't click on the links. I go to their website and login.

[Lee B]

Also don't click on "unsubscribe" links. Just send it to your spam folder.