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   Tax Day scam warning - experts say scammers are using AI-generated voices to   
   impersonate IRS, tax officials   
      
   Date:   
   Tue, 15 Apr 2025 17:32:00 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   With Tax Day in full swing across the US, users are being warned about   
   AI-generated IRS scams.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   Scammers are increasingly observed using artificial intelligence to fuel   
   malicious activities, with many opting for AI-generated voice scams and   
   deepfakes to impersonate tax preparers, accountants or IRS officials.    
      
   With American citizens partaking in Tax Day, the surge in voice phishing   
   (vishing) attacks means were seeing cybercriminals exploiting stolen personal   
   details to convincingly fake identities and scam taxpayers into sharing   
   sensitive financial documents and details.    
      
   While consumers have long been familiar with the signs of email phishing,    
   this new attack vector is catching more victims off guard.   
      
   Vishing scams are targeting taxpayers   
      
   With American citizens partaking in Tax Day on April 15, a new Microsoft   
   Threat Intelligence report hopes to educate users about how they can better   
   protect their data.    
      
   Some easy fixes include implementing multi-factor authentication on online   
   accounts and verifying the authenticity of URLs  by re-typing URLs    
   themselves, users can avoid potential scams such as the use of an upper case   
   i, which is often used in place of a lower case L in attacks.    
      
   Moreover, citizens should familiarize themselves with verified communication   
   methods  for example, the IRS does not initiate contact via email, text or   
   social media for personal or financial information, so a message like this   
   should immediately sound alarm bells.    
      
   Generative AI has allowed scammers to scale their attacks and create highly   
   believable phishing communications, including realistic emails, voice calls   
   and videos. It can be used at all levels of the attack, from deciding what to   
   say or write to crafting content in the form of emails, websites and even   
   voice impersonations.    
      
   Fraudsters can even manipulate search rankings to direct victims to fake    
   sites that promise tax refunds, increasing their sense of authenticity.    
      
   Other common attacks can include malicious PDF attachments, the use of QR   
   codes and legitimate services like Dropbox, and fake DocuSign landing pages.   
   Engineering, IT and consulting sector workers are among the most likely to be   
   attacked.   
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/scammers-are-using-ai-generated-voices-   
   to-impersonate-irs-tax-officials   
      
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