Be wary of spam tax emails

CRN: Why is there increased security pressure at tax time?

Drake: As Internet use becomes more and more a part of our daily lives, many taxpayers have discovered that filing their tax returns online is easy and convenient.

More than a million Australians lodged their tax returns online last year, and even more are expected to do so this year. 

Traditionally, online criminals increase their activity around times such as the end of financial year. Data from Symantec’s latest Internet Security Threat Report shows that hackers work typical nine-to-five working weeks and conduct most of their attacks during those times. Criminals tend to increase their activity when they know people will be doing a lot of transactions over the web. 

There also seems to be a seasonal factor to attacks — during holidays, special events and at the end of financial year there tends to be a peak in online criminal activity.

The Australian Tax Office (ATO) posts warnings to consumers to be wary of fraudulent emails that claim to offer a refund from the Tax Office. Consumers and businesses need to be aware that the ATO never sends out emails to taxpayers asking for personal details, nor will most financial institutions. To find out more go to www.ato.gov.au.

CRN: What type of issues do consumers face approaching the end of the financial year?

Drake: Bringing this back to basics, your financial records are some of the most important pieces of information you keep on your PC. We have been talking for years about how important it is to maintain a strong security policy relating to your PC, and how to best protect this information.

End-users, whether consumers or enterprises, need to ensure proper security measures so their confidential information is safe, to avoid causing financial loss, harming valuable customers, or damaging their own reputation.

CRN: What advice can resellers give their customers to help them avoid being susceptible to the threat of cyber crime?

Drake: We suggest the following tips to consumers and small businesses to ensure they stay safe whilst doing taxes online:

• Be extremely aware of emails asking for your confidential information — especially of a financial nature. Make sure you confirm the sender’s identity and the validity of the request before providing any such details.

• Don’t be pressured into providing sensitive information — phishers use scare tactics, urgent and frightening language and threats of fines or service delays to pressure victims into submitting confidential data.

• Fraudulent emails are often not personalised — emails from legitimate government agencies, banks or financial institutions should address you directly. It is best to contact the organisation who sent the email to confirm its authenticity before sending any personal details through.

• Never click on a web link if the email seems suspicious — instead, navigate to the website by typing the web address directly into your browser.

• Never submit information via forms embedded within the body of email messages. You should communicate such information over the phone or through a website that you have confirmed is secure.

• Confirm the authenticity of a website — by clicking on your browser’s ‘locked’ symbol, you can ensure the site is secure.

• Know who to contact if you are suspicious — in the event that you do inadvertently give a phisher your financial information, monitor online accounts carefully, making sure all transactions are valid. If they are not, contact the financial institution immediately.

CRN: How can resellers equip themselves to better help their customers?

Drake: Symantec’s partner program ensures resellers have the information they need to be a ‘trusted advisor’ on security and data management issues. This extends to malicious code management, perimeter defence, mobile device management, and recovery systems — all absolutely essential when you consider the impact of loss of personal financial data.

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