By now, you have to have received one of the scam emails purporting to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with the subject line: “Notice of Underreported Income.” I’ve received 59 of them just since September 18, 2009. Persistent little spammers.
But if you’re smart or if you follow me on Twitter (not that those things are mutually exclusive), you know that those emails are bad news.
The email encourages you to click on a link to view your tax statement. Don’t do it. The links are associated with a number of viruses and malware, including Zeus Trojan. If your computer becomes infected with the Zeus Trojan, your personal and financial information may be at risk, with a specific focus on online banking.
How prevalent is Zeus Trojan? A recent investigation by a prominent computer security firm found that at least 55% of the computers that it searched were infected, despite anti-virus software on the computers. The group behind Zeus, thought to be located in Europe, has become more aggressive as it targets users.
How do you protect yourself and your information? Don’t click on links or attachments in emails that purport to be from the IRS unless you requested the information. The IRS never begins investigations or contacts taxpayers with tax information unannounced via email. Never. Ever. Never.
Hit delete and don’t look back.
And make sure that everyone who uses your computer understands the security risks and rules. Online Banking