{"id":51489,"date":"2022-08-16T11:37:25","date_gmt":"2022-08-16T18:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=51489"},"modified":"2022-08-16T11:37:25","modified_gmt":"2022-08-16T18:37:25","slug":"security-summit-tax-pros-can-help-clients-battle-identity-theft-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=51489","title":{"rendered":"Security Summit: Tax pros can help clients battle identity theft risk"},"content":{"rendered":"

IR-2022-151, Aug. 16, 2022,\u00a0\u00a0WASHINGTON<\/strong> \u2013 The Security Summit partners today concluded a special summer education campaign by outlining steps tax professionals can take to help clients from becoming statistics in identity-theft related tax-fraud scams.<\/p>\n

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The IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry \u2013 working together as the Security Summit<\/a> \u2013 have been combatting identity theft since 2015. This is the final part in a five-part summer series sponsored by the Summit partners to highlight critical steps tax professionals can take to protect client data. The \u201cProtect Your Clients; Protect Yourself\u201d campaign is an effort to urge tax professionals to secure their computer systems and protect client data following the pandemic and its aftermath.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIdentity thieves always seem to find a hook to lure victims, and we increasingly see tax professionals as a target given the sensitive client data they handle,\u201d said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. \u201cTax professionals have their hands full taking care of their clients and staying on top of the latest in professional developments. But they shouldn\u2019t overlook the basics of protecting their data and their systems. Missing these basic steps can be devastating to a tax pro \u2013 and their clients. But a few common-sense steps and being aware of security basics can go a long way to provide important protection.\u201d<\/p>\n

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While many may be working from home either full- or part-time, the IRS and Security Summit partners urge the use of virtual private networks, or VPNs, to securely conduct business.<\/p>\n

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Online business\/commerce and banking should only be done while using a secure browser connection -never at a coffee shop, restaurant or other business offering \u2018free wifi.\u2019 One way users can tell if they\u2019re using a secure browser is by looking for a small lock visible in the lower right corner or upper left of the web browser window.<\/p>\n

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Some additional considerations:<\/p>\n