It’s February.

Tax season is officially underway. Your accountant is busy. Your bookkeeper is buried in paperwork. Everyone’s thinking about W-2s, 1099s, and looming deadlines.

But here’s the thing no one puts on the calendar:

The first real tax-season problem usually isn’t a form — it’s a scam.

And there’s one scam that shows up before April even gets close because it’s simple, believable, and aimed straight at small businesses.

You may already have it sitting in someone’s inbox.

The W-2 Scam: How It Works

It usually starts like this:

Someone in payroll or HR receives an email that looks like it’s from the owner, CEO, or a senior executive.

It’s short. It’s urgent. It sounds normal.

“Hey, I need copies of all employee W-2s for a meeting with the accountant. Can you send them ASAP? I’m slammed today.”

Nothing about it feels suspicious.

Tax season is hectic. W-2 requests are expected. The urgency makes sense.

So the employee sends the documents.

Except the email wasn’t from the CEO.
It was from a criminal using a spoofed email address or a look-alike domain.

And just like that, they now have every employee’s:

• Full legal name
• Social Security number
• Home address
• Salary information

In other words: everything needed for identity theft and fraudulent tax filings.

How Businesses Usually Find Out

This scam doesn’t surface immediately.

It shows up later when an employee files their tax return — and it’s rejected.

“A return has already been filed for this Social Security number.”

Someone else already claimed their refund.

Now your employee is dealing with the IRS, credit freezes, identity theft protection, and months of paperwork — because of a document they didn’t even know was sent.

Multiply that by your entire payroll.

Now imagine explaining to your team that their personal information was compromised because of a single email.

That’s not just a cybersecurity issue.
That’s an HR nightmare.
A trust problem.
And potentially a legal one.

Why This Scam Works So Well

This isn’t a sloppy, obvious phishing email.

It works because:

• The timing is perfect – W-2 requests in February don’t raise eyebrows
• The request is reasonable – this actually happens during tax season
• The urgency feels normal – “I’m slammed today” doesn’t sound fake
• The sender looks legitimate – criminals research leadership names and roles
• Employees want to help – especially when the “boss” is asking

When people are busy, verification is often the first thing to go.

How to Stop It Before It Happens

The good news?
This scam is highly preventable — and it doesn’t require fancy tools.

1. Make a “No W-2s via Email” Rule
   1. No exceptions. Sensitive payroll documents should never be sent via email attachments — even if the request looks internal.
2. Verify Requests in a Second Channel
   1. Phone call. In-person. Internal chat. Just don’t reply directly to the email. Use contact info you already trust.
3. Hold a 10-Minute Tax-Scam Huddle
   1. Tell your payroll and HR staff what to expect now, not later. Awareness is cheap insurance.
4. Lock Down Payroll & HR Systems
   1. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) on anything that touches employee data. If credentials get phished, MFA is the final barrier.
5. Make Verification Part of Your Culture
   1. Employees should be praised for double-checking — not made to feel paranoid. When questioning is encouraged, scams fail.

Five simple rules.
Easy to implement this week.
Strong enough to stop the first wave.

The Bigger Picture

The W-2 scam is just the opening act.

Between now and April, expect:

• Fake IRS payment notices
• Phishing emails posing as tax software updates
• Messages pretending to be your accountant
• Fraudulent invoices disguised as tax expenses

Criminals love tax season because everyone is rushed — and financial requests don’t seem unusual.

Businesses that make it through tax season unscathed aren’t luckier.

They’re prepared.

Is Your Business Ready?

If your team knows what to look for and you already have policies in place — great. You’re ahead of most small businesses.

If not, now is the time.

A quick 10-minute discovery call can help you review:

• Payroll and HR access controls
• W-2 verification policies
• Email protections that catch spoofing
• The one tax-season policy most businesses miss

👉 Book your 10-minute discovery call here

Because tax season is stressful enough — identity theft shouldn’t be part of it.

For more information:

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