{"id":3684,"date":"2026-03-19T02:47:35","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T07:47:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/?p=3684"},"modified":"2026-03-04T03:01:02","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T09:01:02","slug":"your-accountant-is-stressed-hackers-know-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/blog\/your-accountant-is-stressed-hackers-know-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Accountant Is Stressed. Hackers Know It"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s March.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Your accountant is buried. Your bookkeeper is scrambling. Deadlines are looming. Emails are flying faster than anyone can keep up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Everyone\u2019s head is down, just trying to get through the month.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This isn\u2019t news to you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But it isn\u2019t news to hackers either.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Security researchers consistently see a <\/span><b>significant spike in phishing attempts during tax season<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, with March bringing roughly a <\/span><b>28% increase in tax-themed scam emails<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> compared to quieter months. These messages aren\u2019t dramatic. They\u2019re designed to blend in with everyday business requests, right when people are busiest.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s not a coincidence.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> That\u2019s timing.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Here&#8217;s what&#8217;s coming and four simple ways to make sure your business isn&#8217;t the easy target.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>The Stressed Supply Chain<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here\u2019s what most people miss:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hackers aren\u2019t just targeting accounting firms.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They\u2019re targeting the <\/span><b>chaos around them<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When tax season hits:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Clients rush to send sensitive documents<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Staff members shortcut normal checks to keep up with volume<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cJust send me the file\u201d replaces usual caution<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Verification gets skipped because everyone is slammed<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The whole ecosystem speeds up.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And speed is where mistakes happen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hackers don\u2019t go after calm, methodical businesses.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They go after busy ones. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">March is busy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3686\" src=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/03\/unnamed-9-1024x683.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"733\" height=\"489\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/03\/unnamed-9-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/03\/unnamed-9-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/03\/unnamed-9-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/03\/unnamed-9.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 733px) 100vw, 733px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>What These Attacks Actually Look Like<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This isn\u2019t a movie plot.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s an email that looks exactly like the others in your inbox.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A message from \u201cyour accountant\u201d asking you to resend W-2s because something didn\u2019t come through<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A note from a vendor saying their bank information has changed and needs updating<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A DocuSign request for a tax document that \u201cneeds your signature today\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">An urgent email from \u201cyour CEO\u201d who\u2019s traveling and needs help immediately<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">None of these feel suspicious. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They feel like normal business in March. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s why they work.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Why Busy People Get Caught<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This isn\u2019t about being careless. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s about being human.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When inboxes are full and deadlines are tight, people don\u2019t read carefully. They scan. They assume. They react. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scammers know this.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Their messages are designed for people who are moving too fast to notice the one detail that\u2019s off. They don\u2019t need you to be reckless. They just need you to be busy.\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">And in March, almost everyone is.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Four Simple Ways to Not Be the Easy Target<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The good news is you don\u2019t need fancy tools or a security team to reduce your risk.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You just need a few intentional habits during busy months.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b> Verify payment changes by phone<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If an email says a vendor\u2019s banking details have changed, don\u2019t reply to the message.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Call a number you already trust and confirm it verbally.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This single habit prevents some of the most expensive scams businesses face.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><b> Slow down requests for sensitive information<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Urgency should be a signal to pause, not to rush.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> If someone asks for W-2s, tax documents or financial files \u201cright now,\u201d take a moment to verify first.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The real sender won\u2019t mind a short delay. A scammer will.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><b> Confirm \u201curgent\u201d requests through a second channel<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If an email claims something is urgent, verify it another way.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> A quick call, text or internal message can stop a bad decision before it starts.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Real urgency can survive a two-minute check. Fake urgency can\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><b> Give your team a five-minute heads-up<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This week, remind your team that tax season is prime time for scams.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Tell them it\u2019s okay to slow down, double-check and ask questions when something feels off.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> That small permission shift can prevent a lot of unnecessary cleanup later.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-3687\" src=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/03\/unnamed-10-1024x683.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"780\" height=\"520\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/03\/unnamed-10-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/03\/unnamed-10-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/03\/unnamed-10-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/03\/unnamed-10.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><b>The Takeaway<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tax season is stressful enough without adding \u201cfell for a scam\u201d to the list.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The attacks that show up this month aren\u2019t especially clever. They\u2019re just well-timed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">They rely on people being rushed.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They rely on assumptions.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> They rely on everyone trying to power through March.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You don\u2019t have to overhaul your systems to avoid becoming the easy target.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> You just have to slow down when it matters and verify when things feel urgent.\u00a0 <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s often enough.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>A Quick Busy-Season Sanity Check<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Your business may already have good habits in place, and if it does, that\u2019s great.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But if tax season tends to push everyone into reactive mode, or you\u2019re not sure how your team handles urgent requests under pressure, it may be worth a quick sanity check with a free 10-minute discovery call.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">No scare tactics. No pressure. Just a clear look at whether small habits could prevent big headaches this time of year. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If this doesn\u2019t sound like your business, feel free to forward it to someone it does.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/contact-us\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">[Book your 10-minute discovery call\u202fhere]<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/contact-us\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-749\" src=\"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/05\/Blue-Yellow-Promotion-Call-to-Action-Email-Header-3-1024x341.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-3-1024x341.png 1024w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/05\/Blue-Yellow-Promotion-Call-to-Action-Email-Header-3-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/05\/Blue-Yellow-Promotion-Call-to-Action-Email-Header-3-768x256.png 768w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/05\/Blue-Yellow-Promotion-Call-to-Action-Email-Header-3-1536x512.png 1536w, https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2024\/05\/Blue-Yellow-Promotion-Call-to-Action-Email-Header-3.png 1575w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s March. Your accountant is buried. Your bookkeeper is scrambling. Deadlines are&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":331,"featured_media":3685,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[22,48,16,31,34,21,30,47,45],"class_list":["post-3684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-it","tag-cmit-boston","tag-cmit-boston-newton-waltham","tag-cmit-solutions","tag-it-infrastructure","tag-security-solution","tag-software-optimization","tag-specializedsupport","tag-tech-it-support","tag-tech-soluthion"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3684","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=3684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3684\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmitsolutions.com\/boston-ma-1020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}