New tax scam deposits refund in your account

The tax season is in full swing, and the Internal Revenue Service is already seeing new scams targeting not only taxpayers but also tax preparers.

The IRS says this new scam begins with cybercriminals stealing data from several tax practitioners' computers and filing fraudulent tax returns. The agency says the fraudulent returns in a few cases used the taxpayers' real bank accounts for the deposit. According to the IRS, a woman posing as a debt collection agency official then contacted the taxpayers to say a refund was deposited in error and asked the taxpayers to forward the money to her.

The IRS urging tax professionals to step up security and beware of phishing emails that can secretly download malicious software that can help cybercriminals steal client data. As for taxpayers, the IRS says consumers should be alert to any unusual activity such as receiving a tax transcript or tax refund they did not request.