esene Se@euriienes ——————— Last-Minute Tips to Ease Tax Season for Small Business Owners (NAPSA)—Tax season can be stressful for small business owners. Not only do you have to pull together all of your company and employee tax information, but you have the added stress of ensuring that sensitive data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. With tax refund fraud hitting both individuals and companies across the United States to the tune of $21 billion this year, according to the IRS, it’s clear that small business owners need to take precautions to protect their information this season. Here are a few tips to help you get through tax season in one piece. Beware of Phishing Attempts Tax season is a vulnerable time for all business owners. Criminals know deadlines are looming, and they are targeting unsuspecting business owners through the use of phishing attacks. Neverclick on links in emails you don’t trust or send out information without verifying who is requesting it. Instead, give the person or business requesting information a call to check in. Use Strong Passwords The two most common pass- words are “123456” and “password,” according to SplashData. To ensure security when logging into an online accounting service, pick a more challenging password that will be difficult for hackers to guess. Avoid using easily guessable passwords, such as children’s names or birthdates. Instead, include a mix of both lowercase and capital letters, along with numbers and symbols. At tax time or anytime, it pays to be smart about sending secure emails. Secure Emails to Tax Professionals It’s convenient to send and receive documents over email, but that doesn’t mean emailis secure. Emails and attachments sent over unsecure email are as easily read by hackers as a postcard traveling through the postal system. To prevent criminals from accessing private information that needs to be shared, consider an email encryption solution. Manyoptions are easy to use and mobile-friendly. In two or less steps, you can securely exchange sensitive information to tax professionals, customers and business partners. “There’s enough to worry about come tax time without business owners also having to stress about the potential for fraud,” said David Wagner, CEO of email data protection provider ZixCorp. “With a bit of vigilance and the right encryption strategies in place, small business ownerscan take on tax season with peace of mind that their private informationis safe.” For moredetails on email encryption, visit www.ZixCorp.com.
