Your Accountant Is Stressed. Hackers Know It. How to Stay Safe This Tax Season.
Tax season brings a 28% spike in phishing attacks targeting small businesses. Hackers don't target calm, methodical businesses — they target busy ones. Here's what to watch for and four simple habits to protect your team.
It's March.
Your accountant is buried. Your bookkeeper is scrambling. Deadlines are looming. Emails are flying faster than anyone can keep up.
Everyone's head is down, just trying to get through the month.
This isn't news to you.
But it isn't news to hackers, either.
Security researchers consistently see a significant spike in phishing attempts during tax season — roughly a 28% increase in tax-themed scam emails compared to quieter months. These messages aren't dramatic. They're designed to blend in with everyday business requests, right when people are busiest.
That's not coincidence. That's timing.
The Stressed Supply Chain
Here's what most people miss: hackers aren't just targeting accounting firms. They're targeting the chaos around them.
When tax season hits:
- Verification gets skipped because everyone is slammed
- "Just send me the file" replaces usual caution
- Staff members shortcut normal checks to keep up with volume
- Clients rush to send sensitive documents without double-checking
The whole ecosystem speeds up. And speed is where mistakes happen.
Hackers don't go after calm, methodical businesses. They go after busy ones.
March is busy.
What These Attacks Actually Look Like
This isn't a movie plot. It's an email that looks exactly like the others in your inbox:
- An urgent message from "your CEO" who's traveling and needs help immediately
- A DocuSign request for a tax document that "needs your signature today"
- A note from a vendor saying their bank information has changed and needs updating
- A message from "your accountant" asking you to resend W-2s because something didn't come through
None of these feel suspicious. They feel like normal business in March.
That's why they work.
Why Busy People Get Caught
This isn't about being careless. It's about being human.
When inboxes are full and deadlines are tight, people don't read carefully. They scan. They assume. They react.
Scammers know this. Their messages are designed for people who are moving too fast to notice the one detail that's off.
They don't need you to be reckless. They just need you to be busy.
And in March, almost everyone is.
Four Simple Ways to Not Be the Easy Target
The good news: you don't need fancy tools or a dedicated security team to reduce your risk. You just need a few intentional habits during busy months.
1. Verify Payment Changes by Phone
If an email says a vendor's banking details have changed, don't reply to the message. Call a number you already trust and confirm it verbally. This single habit prevents some of the most expensive scams businesses face.
2. Slow Down Requests for Sensitive Information
If someone asks for W-2s, tax documents, or financial files "right now," take a moment to verify first. Urgency should be a signal to pause — not to rush. The real sender won't mind a short delay. A scammer will.
3. Confirm "Urgent" Requests Through a Second Channel
If an email claims something is urgent, verify it another way — a quick call, text, or internal message. Real urgency can survive a two-minute check. Fake urgency can't.
4. Give Your Team a Five-Minute Heads-Up
This week, remind your team that tax season is prime time for scams. Tell them it's okay to slow down, double-check, and ask questions when something feels off. That small permission shift can prevent a lot of unnecessary cleanup later.
The Takeaway
Tax season is stressful enough without adding "fell for a scam" to the list.
The attacks that show up this month aren't especially clever. They're just well-timed. They rely on everyone trying to power through March. They rely on assumptions. They rely on people being rushed.
You don't have to overhaul your systems to avoid becoming the easy target. You just have to slow down when it matters and verify when things feel urgent.
That's often enough.
A Quick Busy-Season Sanity Check
Coulee Tech helps businesses across La Crosse, Eau Claire, and Fort Myers stay protected during high-risk periods like tax season — with email security tools, phishing protection, and practical team training that actually sticks.
If you're not sure how your team handles urgent requests under pressure, it may be worth a quick conversation before something expensive happens.
Book a free 10-minute discovery call — no scare tactics, no pressure, just a clear look at whether small habits could prevent big headaches this tax season.