Tax Risk 1
Impersonation of trusted contacts
Tax Risk 1
Impersonation of trusted contacts
How it works
Criminals study relationships and routines. They pull details from public records, breached data, data broker sites, or social media, and use search engines like Google to find information. They use this to impersonate someone you already trust, often with a believable reason. Messages such as "We need your K-1 now," "I'm updating your portal access," or "Can you approve this payment before the deadline?" seem innocent when from a trusted contact, but can be harmful when that contact isn't who they say they are.
Once a criminal has engaged with you, they might request a test payment or last-minute tax payment reroute, move the conversation to a private email address or different platform, or use the information you give them to take over your email account. From there, they can target your staff or advisors with convincing follow-up requests.
Red flags to watch for
- A new phone number, new email address, or slightly altered name from a known contact
- Unusual urgency, secrecy, or "I'm in a meeting, don't call" language
- Requests to bypass your normal process or "just this once" approvals
- Attachments or links you weren't expecting, especially "secure document" links
How to prevent an attack
- Call back using your known contact method, not the one in the message
- Use a family-and-staff code phrase or question only a real person would know, keep it private and rotate it annually
- Ensure any new bank details, payment instructions, or portal changes require a second verification channel
How BlackCloak can help
BlackCloak helps reduce the amount of personal data available for criminals to use and impersonate you. We continuously monitor and remove exposed information from data broker sites and suppress your data on search engines such as Google.
Our Identity Verification feature within the BlackCloak app enables you to confirm the identity of anyone who calls, texts, emails, or video messages you before acting. Should you fall victim to a scam, our Concierge Team can review and respond quickly to resolve it for you.
