{"id":3596,"date":"2026-02-12T03:43:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T09:43:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/?p=3596"},"modified":"2026-02-04T03:52:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T09:52:16","slug":"tax-season-scams-are-starting-early-heres-the-one-that-hits-small-businesses-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/blog\/tax-season-scams-are-starting-early-heres-the-one-that-hits-small-businesses-first\/","title":{"rendered":"Tax Season Scams Are Starting Early. Here\u2019s the One That Hits Small Businesses First."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s February. Tax season is ramping up. Your accountant is getting busier. Your bookkeeper is pulling documents. Everyone\u2019s thinking about W-2s, 1099s, and deadlines.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here\u2019s the part nobody puts on the calendar: the first real tax-season headache usually isn\u2019t a form.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/blog\/new-years-resolutions-for-cybercriminals-spoiler-your-business-is-on-their-list\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">cybersecurity scam<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And there\u2019s one that shows up before April even gets close because it\u2019s easy, believable, and aimed directly at small businesses. You may already have it sitting in someone\u2019s inbox.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>The W-2 Scam: A Common Cybersecurity Threat to Small Businesses<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here\u2019s how it usually starts:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Someone in your company, often whoever handles payroll or HR, receives an email that looks like it\u2019s from the CEO, owner, or another senior executive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The message is short and urgent:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cHey, I need copies of all employee W-2s for a meeting with the accountant. Can you send them over ASAP? I\u2019m slammed today.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It looks normal. The tone feels right. Tax season is busy, so the urgency doesn\u2019t raise alarms. The request itself sounds reasonable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So the employee sends the W-2s.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Except the email wasn\u2019t from the CEO. It came from a criminal using a spoofed email address or a look-alike domain, a common tactic in business email compromise attacks.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now that criminal has every employee\u2019s:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Full legal name<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Social Security number<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Home address<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Salary information<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Everything needed for identity theft. Everything needed to file fraudulent tax returns before your employees do.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-3598\" src=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/02\/unnamed-2-1024x683.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/02\/unnamed-2-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/02\/unnamed-2-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/02\/unnamed-2-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/02\/unnamed-2.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>What Happens After a W-2 Data Breach<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is how most businesses find out:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">An employee files their tax return. It\u2019s rejected.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cReturn already filed for this Social Security number.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Someone already filed in their name. Already claimed the refund. Already got the money.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now that employee is dealing with the IRS, credit monitoring, identity theft protection, and months of paperwork\u00a0 because of a document they didn\u2019t even realize had been exposed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Multiply that by your entire payroll.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now imagine explaining to your team that their personal information was compromised because of a fake email.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s not just a cybersecurity issue.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> That\u2019s a trust issue.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> An HR crisis.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> A compliance problem.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> A potential legal and reputational disaster.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Why This Tax Scam Works So Well<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This isn\u2019t a sloppy phishing email. It\u2019s effective because it\u2019s designed for real business environments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It works because:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The timing is perfect.<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">W-2 requests are expected in February. Nobody questions why someone would ask for them now.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The request is realistic.<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s not \u201cwire $50,000\u201d or \u201cbuy gift cards.\u201d It\u2019s a normal payroll request that happens every tax season.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The urgency feels normal.<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI\u2019m slammed today, can you send this quickly?\u201d doesn\u2019t raise red flags in a busy office.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The sender looks legitimate.<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Attackers research their targets. They know executive names. Sometimes they know your accountant\u2019s name. That\u2019s why these email attacks bypass basic spam filters.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Employees want to be helpful.<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Especially when the request appears to come from leadership. Urgency overrides verification.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This is why email security and user awareness matter just as much as antivirus software.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How to Protect Your Business Before This Scam Hits<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The good news: this scam is preventable. And stopping it requires policy and culture\u00a0 not just technology.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Create a \u201cno W-2s via email\u201d policy.<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">No exceptions. Sensitive payroll and HR data should never be sent as email attachments. If the request comes via email, the answer is always \u201cno,\u201d even if it appears to be from leadership.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Verify sensitive requests through a second channel.<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Phone call. In-person conversation. Internal chat. Anything other than replying to the email. Always use contact information you already trust.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Hold a short tax-season security briefing now.<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ten minutes with payroll and HR staff explaining what these scams look like and how to respond. Awareness is one of the most effective cybersecurity defenses.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Secure payroll and HR systems with multi-factor authentication<\/b><b>.<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If credentials are phished, MFA becomes the last line of defense protecting employee data.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Make verification part of your culture.<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Employees who double-check requests\u00a0 even from executives\u00a0 should be supported, not criticized. When questioning is encouraged, scams fail.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Five simple rules. Easy to implement this week. Strong enough to stop the first wave.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/02\/unnamed-1-1-1024x683.png\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>The Bigger Tax-Season Cybersecurity Picture<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The W-2 scam is only the beginning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Between now and April, small businesses are often targeted with:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fake IRS notices demanding immediate payment<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Phishing emails posing as tax software updates<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Spoofed messages from \u201cyour accountant\u201d containing malicious links<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fraudulent invoices disguised as tax-related expenses<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tax season is prime time for cybercriminals because everyone is distracted, moving fast, and handling sensitive financial data.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Businesses that get through tax season clean aren\u2019t lucky.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They\u2019re prepared.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They have clear policies. They train their teams. They use <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/blog\/the-roi-of-managed-services-how-proactive-it-saves-money-and-headaches\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">proactive IT<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> security and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/blog\/mfa-made-simple-how-multi-factor-authentication-stops-99-of-account-hacks\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">email protection<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to stop threats before damage occurs.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Is Your Business Ready?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If your policies are in place and your team knows what to watch for, that\u2019s great\u00a0 you\u2019re ahead of most small businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If not, now is the time. Not after the first incident.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If this sounds like your business, book a 10-minute discovery call and we\u2019ll review:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Payroll and HR access controls<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Multi-factor authentication coverage<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">W-2 verification policies<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Email security protections that catch spoofing<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The one security gap most small businesses overlook<\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If it doesn\u2019t sound like you, that\u2019s good. But chances are you know a business owner it <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">does<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> sound like. Forward them this article\u00a0 it may save them a very expensive headache.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/contact-us\/\"><b>[Book your 10-minute discovery call here]<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Because tax season is stressful enough without identity theft on top of it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/contact-us\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-733\" src=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/05\/Blue-Yellow-Promotion-Call-to-Action-Email-Header-2-1024x341.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/05\/Blue-Yellow-Promotion-Call-to-Action-Email-Header-2-1024x341.png 1024w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/05\/Blue-Yellow-Promotion-Call-to-Action-Email-Header-2-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/05\/Blue-Yellow-Promotion-Call-to-Action-Email-Header-2-768x256.png 768w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/05\/Blue-Yellow-Promotion-Call-to-Action-Email-Header-2-1536x512.png 1536w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/05\/Blue-Yellow-Promotion-Call-to-Action-Email-Header-2.png 1575w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s February. Tax season is ramping up. Your accountant is getting busier&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":331,"featured_media":3599,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[56,27,39,48,16,17,25,36,32,31,23,42,37,40,24,49,20,34,21,46,47,19],"class_list":["post-3596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-it","tag-boston-it-support","tag-client-satisfaction","tag-cloud-services","tag-cmit-boston-newton-waltham","tag-cmit-solutions","tag-cyber-security","tag-data-backup","tag-data-backup-recovery","tag-data-recovery","tag-it-infrastructure","tag-it-managed-services","tag-it-support-services","tag-law-firms","tag-network-management-services","tag-recovery-solution","tag-scott-krentzman","tag-security-measures","tag-security-solution","tag-software-optimization","tag-tech-animation","tag-tech-it-support","tag-waltham"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/331"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3596"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3596\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}