Learn to recognize phishing scams which usually occur thru email asking for your personal, tax or financial information.You should never provide sensitive data thru email
Data security can protect my business as well as my clients
All tax return preparers must create and enact a data security plan to protect their systems and to protect client information and data
My Data Security Plan
My internet connection set-up uses WPA-2 (WIFI Protected Access 2)
I never use public WIFI…all work is performed in my home office
Security software is present on my computers
My tax software access is password-protected using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication is being used thru their mobile app. The IRS also requires that applications time-out after 30 minutes of user inactivity
Tax returns are also stored in the cloud in the .pdf format
Backups of my entire computer occur automatically and often to an external solid state drive which is stored in a secure location outside of tax season
I access IRS e-Services to ensure no fraudulent activity is present under my PTIN (Preparer Tax Identification Number) account
I monitor my EFIN (Electronic Filing Identification Number) activity to ensure that returns filed under my EFIN match the number of returns actually filed