If you're wondering why, it's because every cybercriminal and their mother are currently scanning for the weakest member of the digital herd, and they hope the weak link is just foolish enough to click on their half-brother. This time of year, e-criminals dress up and play IRS agents. They are sending out official-looking emails that are loaded with malicious software.
I don't know who needs to hear this right now, but the IRS doesn't send out emails that are not legitimate. If you get an email out of the blue, you're probably just chatting with a hacker, not a federal official.
This year, there is a powerful scam involving the Emotet. Email security firm Cofense says that Emotet has been sending out fraudulent emails that claim to contain tax information and refunds. Zip files attached to the emails unleash the odious malware onto a victim's computer.
This isn't the first scam that Emotet has pulled. The group made similar ploys in the past. They will almost certainly do it again. You don't want to be one of the unlucky people who ends up getting caught up in tax season fraud. It might be a bit of an understatement. The Federal Trade Commission reported last year that 89,000 Americans were caught up in tax-related scam.
Consider this your tax season PSA. For god's sake, file your shit already and stay frosty.