INDIANAPOLIS – In the wake of a W-2 phishing scam that successfully targeted two Indianapolis businesses, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is warning Hoosiers that school districts, hospitals and nonprofits – and even small business owners – are also at risk of falling victim to the fraudulent scheme.
In just the last two weeks, scammers successfully compromised two Indianapolis businesses with a Form W-2 phishing scam – often referred to as the business email spoofing (BES) or business email compromise (BEC) scam. These cybercriminals, or scammers, will make their personal emails appear as if they are sent from a high-ranking employee at the targeted business. The email, which requests names of each employee and their Form W-2, is sent to someone in the company or business’ human resources or accounting department, and if successful, collects sensitive personal information of each employee.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner John Koskinen called the W-2 scam one of the most dangerous email phishing scams the IRS has seen in a long time. Attorney General Hill is cautioning everyone that this scam is not exclusive to the corporate world.
If you work for a company that has been compromised by such a scam, the Office of the Indiana Attorney General encourages you to sign up for a credit freeze to protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft. Hoosiers can visit the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division for more information. You can also fill out an Identity Theft Complaint Form. Contact us at 1-800-382-5516 to speak to a consumer protection staff member who can help you in obtaining an Identity Theft Affidavit Form 14039 which can be submitted to the IRS if you are a victim of tax fraud.
