The IRS and Security Summit partners have launched the 2025 summer Protect Your Clients; Protect Yourself campaign to help tax professionals combat tax-related identity theft. Now in its tenth year, the campaign, part of the broader Security Summit initiative involving the IRS, state tax agencies, and the tax community, aims to raise awareness about data theft risks. A series of five news releases, starting with the IRS Nationwide Tax Forum on July 1 in Chicago, will highlight protective measures for tax pros. Releases will run biweekly on Tuesdays, focusing on emerging scams targeting tax professionals.IRS Commissioner Billy Long emphasized the decade-long collaboration to protect taxpayers, while Sharonne Bonardi of the Federation of Tax Administrators and Julie Magee of Cash App Taxes underscored the importance of joint efforts to curb scams through real-time collaboration. The campaign will also feature at the Nationwide Tax Forums in Chicago (July 1), New Orleans (Aug. 5), Orlando (Aug. 26), Baltimore (Sept. 9), and San Diego (Sept. 16), with registration deadlines nearing.
Week One: Emerging Scams Targeting Tax Pros
The IRS and Security Summit warn tax professionals about evolving threats like:
- Phone, Text, and Correspondence Scams:
- Zero Tax Program: Scammers promise to erase tax debt in exchange for Social Security numbers.
- Social Media Scams: Misleading posts promote false tax documents or ineligible credits (e.g., Fuel Tax Credit, Sick and Family Leave Credit).
- Fake IRS Promises: Scammers request financial information via phone or text, offering nonexistent IRS refunds.
- AI-Generated Scams: Fraudsters use AI to create fake IRS letters mailed to victims.
Protective Measures
Tax pros who experience a data breach should contact their local IRS Stakeholder Liaison to report it, enabling the IRS to block fraudulent returns and assist with recovery. They can also report to state tax agencies via the Federation of Tax Administrators’ Report a Data Breach page and should follow the Federal Trade Commission’s Data Breach Response requirements for robust security planning. Staying vigilant and informed is critical to protecting client data and maintaining trust.
To read this article in its entirety, please go to IRS.gov.