Cybersecurity Archives

SOS – Bogus Solicitations

The Colorado Secretary of State’s office today is alerting small business owners about potentially misleading notices requesting an extra fee for a third party to file business documents. The Secretary of State’s office has received multiple reports of these potentially deceptive or misleading solicitations being sent to Colorado businesses. The Colorado Secretary of State maintains an easy to use online filing system for businesses. Use of a third party to complete filings with the Secretary of State is not required.

The solicitation may:

* Appear similar to a government form.
* Contain your business entity’s actual business ID number and date of formation, as reflected in the Secretary of State’s business records.
* Contain a “Customer ID Number” that does not match a number given to you by a State or Federal Agency.
* Contain a warning to make sure that the form’s instructions are followed exactly when completing the form.
* Contain a due date for your response.

* Mention a periodic report.

Click to see a sample of the misleading notice… In the example, the company is charging a $75 “processing fee” for a $10 filing. The Secretary of State’s office does not mail out business filing forms and compliance with these notices is not required.

All business filings, including annual Periodic Reports, are filed online. The current fee for filing the Periodic Report is only $10. Business owners can find instructions to easily and directly file business forms on the Secretary of State’s website under the Business Organizations heading.

“We want to make sure Coloradans have the tools they need for their businesses to succeed. We have an easy-to-use and affordable business filing system. Business owners should be wary of third-party solicitations related to filing requirements,” said Secretary of State Jena Griswold

In order to receive advance notice of when Periodic Reports, Trademark renewals, or Trade Name renewals are due, business owners can sign up online for free Email Notifications. Additionally, business owners can visit the Secretary of State’s site to verify their business status, file a form or obtain a free certification.

The IRS Dirty Dozen

Finances / By saraeknudsen

IRS kicks off annual list of most prevalent tax scams:

Agency warns taxpayers of pervasive phishing schemes in its ‘Dirty Dozen’ campaign

The IRS warns taxpayers, businesses and tax professionals to be alert for a continuing surge of fake emails, text messages, websites and social media attempts to steal personal information. These attacks tend to increase during tax season and remain a major danger of identity theft. To help protect taxpayers against these and other threats, the IRS highlights one scam on 12 consecutive week days to help raise awareness.

Phishing schemes are the first of the 2019 “Dirty Dozen” scams. “Taxpayers should be on constant guard for these phishing schemes, which can be tricky and cleverly disguised to look like it’s the IRS,” said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. “Watch out for emails and other scams posing as the IRS, promising a big refund or personally threatening people. Don’t open attachments and click on links in emails. Don’t fall victim to phishing or other common scams.”

The IRS also urges taxpayers to learn how to protect themselves by reviewing safety tips prepared by the Security Summit, a collaborative effort between the IRS, state revenue departments and the private-sector tax community. “Taking some basic security steps and being cautious can help protect people and their sensitive tax and financial data,” Rettig said.

For more on the worst of the worst tax scams, visit https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/dirty-dozen.

Cyber Security Summit

Events / By saraeknudsen

October is Crime Awareness Month — What a good opportunity to think about the protection and safety of your business, employees and customers!

The Cyber Security Summit is all day, Friday, October 26th
8:00 AM – 4:30 PM – Summit
4:30 PM – 6:30 PM – Happy Hour
Pinery at the Hill | 775 W. Bijou St. | Colorado Springs 80905
Cost: $20/person ($300/exhibitor)

The Summit will include a full day of workshops and takeaways to immediately implement in your business, two keynote speakers, access to cyber security consultants for free on-on-one consulting throughout the day, and Cyber for Small Business exhibitors. Your registration also includes a continental breakfast, plated lunch and happy hour hors d’oeuvres.

Learn more and register: www.pikespeaksbdc.org/summit
Download the announcement here…

Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week

Finances / By saraeknudsen

Attend a free webinar —
Protecting Sensitive Business and Customer Data: Practical Identity Safety Practices for Your Business
Thursday, February 1st, 11AM MST

The webinar is part of Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week (January 29-February 2, 2018).

Presenters from the IRS and the Federal Trade Commission will talk about how businesses can protect themselves, their customers, and employees against ID theft. They will also discuss imposter scams targeting businesses, cybersecurity practices, and how to respond to a data breach.

Follow this link for more information about the webinar.
Register here…