IRS Warns of W-2 Tax Scam Throughout Putnam County

A new phishing tax scam has been aimed at businesses throughout Putnam County.

Over the last couple of years, those dirty little cyber thieves have become more sophisticated as they manipulate payroll personnel into giving them sensitive information from workforces all over the Hudson Valley.

According to the Putnam Daily Voice, these phishing scams appear so realistic that more than 900 phishing reports were filed with the IRS in 2017. The scammers aren't fooling around. They've done their homework by using confidential employee information like income, withholdings, and social security numbers. Don't take the bait!

Online scammers have attempted to hook me by hacking my iTunes account. They send me an email that looks exactly like a legitimate iTunes email wanting me to confirm the cost of an App Store game that I've never even heard of before that goes for $87.50. I immediately check my account's purchase history to make sure I haven't been charged.

Even if an email looks authentic, never, ever give out your personal information from your email address. If you think you've been victimized by the W-2 scammers, send an email to phishing.irs.gov. and place W-2 Scam in the subject line.