Often, someone loses a copy of an important document and needs it to be reissued. Naturally, everyone's too busy to verify the authenticity of each request. This is exactly what scammers are counting on with a recent ploy targeting people who prepare tax forms. In this scheme, the scammer sends an email claiming to be a hired company or someone from the IRS requiring duplicate copies of W-2s. An overworked clerk fears noncompliance with the tax authority and sends the forms.
These forms contain personally identifiable information, including a name, address and a Social Security number. With that information, fraudulent parties can open fake credit cards, apply for loans, or file a fraudulent tax return in an attempt to grab a refund check.