IRS alerts HR, payroll professionals to tax phishing scheme

The Internal Revenue Service yesterday alerted payroll and human resources professionals to beware of an emerging phishing email scheme that purports to be from company executives and requests personal information on employees. “The IRS has learned this scheme – part of the surge in phishing emails seen this year – already has claimed several victims as payroll and human resources offices mistakenly email payroll data including Forms W-2 that contain Social Security numbers and other personally identifiable information to cybercriminals posing as company executives,” the agency said. For more on the phishing emails, see the news release.