Turbo Tax is a popular online tax preparation company used by many people so it should come as no surprise, particularly at this time of year, that a phishing email is presently being circulated that appears to come from Turbo Tax with the title “Important Privacy Changes” in an attempt to get people to click on the link contained in the email purportedly to opt out of having their personal information shared with others.  The email is not sent by Turbo Tax.  It is a phishing scam intended to lure people into clicking on the link which will download keystroke logging malware that will steal your personal information from your computer, smart phone or other electronic device and use it to make you a victim of identity theft.

Here is a copy of the email presently being circulated, DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK:

TIPS

The first line of defense against phishing emails is to have good anti-virus and anti-malware software installed on all of your electronic devices as well as to take advantage of anti-phishing features in your web browser.  Also, keep all of your security software up to date with the latest security patches as soon as they are available.  However, even if you have the most up to date security software, it will not protect you from the latest malware.  Security software is always at least thirty days behind the newest “zero day” malware.

Never click on links in any text message or email unless you have absolutely confirmed that the link is legitimate and safe.  In a case such as this, the safest route is to avoid the email entirely and go directly to the website of the company, in this case Turbo Tax to find out if the email was legitimate or not.  When going to the company website, don’t go by clicking on links or typing in addresses contained in the text message or email.  Instead, independently type in the name of the website in your browser.