Scam alert: Tax-themed phishing scams sneaking into inboxes

Those waiting for a tax refund or invoice need to be on high alert when it comes to emails.

Tech company IBM said it has seen a new wave of tax-themed phishing messages targeting both personal and business emails.

Scammers are pretending the send emails from well known payroll and human resources firms and often use legitimate looking email addresses.

The messages claim to have information about a tax payment or invoice in an attachment. Once clicked, those attachments will secretly load malware onto the computer. If that software is opened, it can be used to steal bank account information.

There are several ways to avoid these types of scams:

• Be careful opening any attachments or clicking links
• Keep antivirus software up to date
• Check URLs to make sure no personal information is given out on fake websites