This content was created by Robert Siciliano. This content was uploaded by Robert Siciliano. This is a YouTube video titled "Identity Theft Speaker: Tax Time Scams Beware and Protect Yourself @McAfeeConsumer" (recorded April 3, 2013). The excerpt is an English interview/segment in which a host (Speaker A) speaks with security expert Robert Siciliano from the Beacon Hill studio about tax-season risks of filing taxes online. Topics covered include identity theft and organized criminal activity targeting Social Security numbers and tax returns, vulnerabilities from insecure PCs and wireless networks, recommended protections (antivirus/anti‑spyware, firewalls, secure Wi‑Fi, Hotspot Shield), vetting accountants, filing early, steps to take if compromised, and the government's slow response to the problem.
Chapters
Well, it is tax time, and as tax day approaches, a lot of people are starting to scramble to file their returns. But you got to be careful, especially if you are doing this online. So we're going to talk to an expert right now to tell us a little bit more about that. Robert Siciliano joins us now from our Beacon Hill studio to talk about this. Robert, you know, everybody wants to go online to do their taxes, are being encouraged to do so, but you still have to worry. How are you putting yourself in jeopardy by doing that?
Well, your PC, if it's not If it's not properly secured, it can have a virus which allows a bad guy to watch what you're doing. Criminal hackers are paying attention and they're gathering Social Security numbers and filing taxes under consumers' names.
So, you know, even if you have the firewalls, the anti-spyware, you're doing your taxes online, you know, what kinds of things do you need to keep in mind and really, you know, be aware of? Can people kind of break through this stuff if they're more savvy and more tech savvy than you are?
Well, like you said, you know, McAfee antivirus, anti-spyware, anti-phishing, and a firewall. If you're using wireless to file, you want to make sure that you're on a secure network. If you're using wireless out in the wild, there's an application called Hotspot Shield which encrypts your wireless connections. Beyond that, make sure that your accountant is as secure as you are because chances are they're filing online as well.
Yeah, because these days, you know, whether you do it yourself like through something like TurboTax or go to an accountant or go to some H&R Block walk type thing. They're all doing it online as well. So do they have pretty good track records as far as their protection? I mean, these, these larger companies, you hope so.
You have to ask the questions. You also have to hope that the accountant themselves doesn't have some type of a drug problem. We're seeing a lot of that where they'd have access to all of our personal information and they go ahead and file ahead of us and get our returns.
Really? That's happening?
Yeah. So it's one of those buyer beware type of situations. Make sure that you're doing business with those you know, like, and trust, doing research on them as well.
So who actually are the people going after our tax information online? Like, who's the— is it a cyber crook? Is it somebody more prone to slip up? I mean, what kind of person is going after this stuff?
Today it's organized crime. Organized crime used to be drugs and prostitution. They have evolved. And they're making big money, millions to billions, —filing our tax returns early. They're breaking into databases, getting millions of Social Security numbers. They're doing it from the inside. So often this is a situation that might be beyond many of our control.
And that's actually pretty scary to hear because I think the average person thinks it's just some guy sitting in his basement who wants to steal your info. But this is, this is a big organized thing going on. Is the government doing anything to help us? Are they taking any precautions? Are we kind of on our own out here?
It's taken 5 years for the government to recognize the extent of the problem. Again, losing millions to billions, and they're only beginning now to actually put systems in place to recognize anomalies. That being said, they probably have another 5 years at least to go before they can solve this problem.
Wow. So what's the most important thing then folks should do? Get some sort of— if they're going to do it on their home computer, some kind of antivirus software?
What's the first step? So it boils down to awareness. You know, if you see that your tax return has been compromised, meaning that you get some type of a letter in the mail from the government saying that we've already received this return, go through the process to rectify it, and chances are they're going to reset the clock fine. Beyond that, file early. The earlier you file, the better off you are going to be.
All right, Robert Siciliano, good information, kind of scary to hear as well, but we appreciate it. Thank you. All right.
