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01
Dec
2020
10 Security Steps to Help Protect You During Tax Season

10 Security Steps to Help Protect You During Tax Season

Don't second guess if your client's information is protected or not - feel confident that it is!

Every tax practitioner whether they are a member of a major accounting firm or an owner of a one-person storefront is a potential target for highly sophisticated, well-funded and technologically adept cyber criminals around the world.

Their objective: to steal your clients’ data so they can file fraudulent tax returns that better impersonate their victims.

Their tactics: to trick you into giving up computer passwords, e-Services passwords, to steal your EFINs or CAF numbers or even to take remote control of your entire computer system.

Electronic data management systems, client portals, and cloud-computing systems foster an ease of doing business. However, records maintained by firms must remain confidential because of professional standards, statutes, and regulations governing record retention. Data breaches can happen in numerous ways, including the following: a lost or stolen device, hacking, fraud, improper disposal of data, and errant email messages. It may be only a matter of time until you face a similar breach.

Here's 10 basic steps everyone should remember during the holidays and as the 2021 tax season approaches:

1. Don't forget to use security software for computers and mobile phones – and keep it updated.

2. Make sure purchased anti-virus software has a feature to stop malware, and there is a firewall that can prevent intrusions.

3. Phishing scams – like imposter emails, calls and texts – are the No. 1 way thieves steal personal data. Don't open links or attachments on suspicious emails. This year, fraud scams related to COVID-19 and the Economic Impact Payment are common.

4. Use strong and unique passwords for online accounts. Use a phrase or series of words that can be easily remembered or use a password manager.

5. Use multi-factor authentication whenever possible. Many email providers and social media sites offer this feature. It helps prevents thieves from easily hacking accounts.

6. Shop at sites where the web address begins with "https" – the "s" is for secure communications over the computer network. Also, look for the "padlock" icon in the browser window.

7. Don't shop on unsecured public Wi-Fi in places like a mall. Remember, thieves can eavesdrop.

8. At home, secure home Wi-Fis with a password. With more homes connected to the web, secured systems become more important, from wireless printers, wireless door locks to wireless thermometers. These can be access points for identity thieves.

9. Back up files on computers and mobile phones. A cloud service or an external hard drive can be used to copy information from computers or phones – providing an important place to recover financial or tax data.

10.Working from home? Consider creating a virtual private network (VPN) to securely connect to your workplace.

Read more about this topic at IRS.GOV site.

More questions or just need some advice? Feel free to contact us at navitend or call 973.448.0070 or setup an appointment today.  Book Now.

Make your life easier ……

Contact us at 973.448.0070

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  • navitend is always providing prompt response, strong technical skills and excellent customer service. Corey, Jeffrey and the other technical support team members are very helpful and user-friendly. Thank you all very much for your fabulous work!

    Chenghan Liu
  • Corey came to my rescue by getting Quick Books working for me. He is excellent at what he does. Very knowledgeable in the Tech field. I don't know what we at Equity Environmental would ever do without him. Thank you Corey!!!!

    Lucille Favale
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    TeleSearch
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    Chuck Steege, CFP®, CEP, President, SFG Wealth Planning Services, Inc.
  • My firm has used navitend for our IT needs for over 10 years and we are highly satisfied. We’ve found the navitend team to be professional, friendly, and, knowledgeable. They are sensitive to our changing IT needs and the shifting compliance landscape within the financial services industry. We recently completed a server migration and had the pleasure of working with Tony & Andrea who handled the project extremely well, ensuring a smooth transition. We are pleased to call navitend our trusted IT partner!

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    George Zauflik
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    C Baker
  • Our company uses Navitend for all its IT needs and every time I've had to ask them for help, they've fixed the issue within hours. Thank you so much!

    Chase Palmer
  • navitend is an amazing resource for all your IT need! Navitend has been supporting Capitol Care Inc.'s IT needs for many years now and our relationship is wonderful! They are in the know on the latest tech trends and they are always working to enhance our security. Their support team is amazing and you are lucky to have the chance to work with Anthony DeRosa. He is professional, knowledgeable, and always willing to go the extra mile to assist us! HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY!!!

    Nicole Shenise
  • Corey has been very helpful! Response to my concerns are always prompt and he makes it easy for me to understand exactly what he is doing. I am very grateful for his help!

    Sue Livingston
  • Corey is the best there is at his job! He fixes everything with no problem. It's amazing to have someone to trust. GO COREY 😊

  • navitend has been great with me and my colleagues as we go through a difficult transition to new technology! They are incredibly patient and helpful. I highly recommend them.

    Molly Debevoise Rennie
  • My customer service experience with navitend was absolutely amazing. My computer crashed and we needed to order a new one. navitend was there to help and get us a new computer and set it up from start to finish. The tech Corey that came out was very pleasant to work with. From start to finish he made sure that all of my programs were working properly again from my old machine. I even had follow-up phone calls from him making sure I was happy with how everything was set up. I have never experienced such exceptional customer service.

    Brian Matthews
  • I look forward to working with you again in the future. Once again, thanks to your organization for your prompt response.

    Luke Wolters / Luke Wolters Tax Consultants
  • navitend was great and my experience was beyond excellent. Very professional, courteous, and responded in a timely manner. They go above and beyond for their clients. They are a pleasure to work with. Kudos to the navitend Team - keep up the great job!

    Ann “Schitzies” Henderson
  • Navitend is a professional, responsive, and knowledgeable organization. They go above and beyond for their clients. The other day Corey Feinsod, one of their Network Technicians, helped resolve a challenging technical issue I experienced working remotely. I appreciate that their team finds value in customer service.

    Cheryl Proska
  • Our company uses navitend for all of our IT needs. Rick and team worked for many hours today repairing an issue they had never seen before. With a project deadline of 5pm today, they were able to figure out the issue and get me back to work. The persistence, urgency and professionalism are 2nd to none. Thank you!!

    Matthew Bick
  • The staff at Navitend is very professional and strives to meet the needs of their clients. As a Small Business owner trust and professionalism are keys to conducting business. navitend sets a high standard of ensuring their clients trust their decisions are for the interest of their business.

    Christopher Schaefer
  • This company is the best! I feel for the guys that have to help us who are not so tech savvy! Never have I been disappointed at the great service navitend provides! Corey was especially helpful and I highly recommend Navitend for all your IT needs! You will be extremely satisfied!

    Kathleen Cwienkala
  • navitend has consistently offered timely, professional, and courteous solutions to our business needs ranging from troubleshooting, purchase and setup of new computers and other advice. They are my 'go-to team' and continue to be a trusted support in our time of need.

    Laurie Placeres
  • I just had an excellent experience with Navitend! I got a new computer and I needed Microsoft Office installed and access to an additional e-mail account. The navitend team was so professional, polite, and patient with me. I am not technologically savvy at all, so they were doing all that they could with the little bit of information that I gave them. They spent over an hour trying to help me. They went above and beyond in assisting me and I was able to get everything installed that I needed. The navitend team is doing a great job!

    Denise Taylor
  • AMAZING!!!! Every time I have an issue or question, navitend responds promptly and professionally. Each time I deal with one of their support technicians, I am always grateful for how quickly an issue is resolved and how courteous the staff is. I cannot recommend navitend enough!!! Wonderful support in a day and age when customer service can be challenging.

    Jacqueline Balloutine
  • Very helpful, courteous & professional. They do a great job and are pleasant to work with as well.

    Robert Linnett
  • Corey is ... an IT genius!!!! This man deserves a major raise and weekly bonuses!!! navitend is my go to for everything IT related, morning noon night and weekends!!! Love this crew!!

    Heather C
  • Corey helped me with what I thought would be a minor problem that snowballed in to some complex computer world wizardly stuff and he was so smooth and calming and had it fixed in 15 minutes!! YES!!!! Tuesday crisis obverted!!

    Kari Maddox
  • Corey and the group at navitend are always so helpful and do everything they can to help. Thanks for your professionalism and continued help.

    Robin Ennis
  • navitend’s approach to customer service is greatly appreciated here.  Ensuring that we are well protected from a technology standpoint provides us with peace of mind to continue our day to day operations and that they are looking out for our company's best interest. 

    Debbie
  • We wholeheartedly recommend navitend for their exceptional IT solutions and services; they have undoubtedly earned our trust and loyalty for future endeavors.

    Benjamin Triggiani
  • I appreciate that they didn’t just build the application. They made it better by bringing ideas to the table that not only made for a better user experience, but also kept the development costs down.

    Andy Lynch / North Star Marketing
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    M B
  • Our company is more efficient and has grown as a result of navitend’s work. navitend helped us get to the next level.

    Greg Niccolai / Madison Insurance
  • Great tech support.

    Ralph Blakeslee
  • Corey was outstanding today in the services he provided - efficient, professional, knowlegable, kind, and understanding with someone who has no clue about computers. Thank you! 😊

    Mertie Potter
  • Their support staff is beyond good. They sorted out our company email server migration problem yesterday in record time. It's great to work with a team that has expertise in depth. There are so many one-man-bands out there. It was a good decision to go with the pros.

    Steve S
  • Thanks so much again for taking care of everything in such an expedient manner. It's a pleasure to work with navitend and its staff as always!

    Lawrence Wolfin / Textol Systems, Inc.
  • This IT firm has been extremely patient, helpful and professional and they are immediately available to troubleshoot and solve problems whenever they arise. Highly recommend them!

    Kathy Kwasnik
  • I have done business with navitend for 10+ years and have found their products and professionalism to be 1st rate. And, from a “service after the sale” perspective … even though my company is California based, my customer experience couldn’t be better. Frank Ableson and his team are top tier professionals. Proud to be one of their customers!

    Bryan Hyzdu
  • navitend is a professional IT organization that I would recommend to my clients. Navitend builds strong relationships with their clients to better understand their needs. Navitend is community focused and does work to support local charities. Overall a great company.

    Michael Leyden
  • navitend has gone above and beyond my highest expectations. Anthony was great! He was able to coordinate with an Adobe Rep and resolve issues that I had just put too much time into. Thank you again - It was a real pleasure working with you!

    Forrest Schandel
  • I recently had to work from home for the first time, and Corey at navitend provided EXCELLENT service. He was patient, kind, and followed through on all the details!

    Penny Carbaugh
  • THE BEST!! I've never felt compelled to write a review for any service until having the pleasure to work with navitend. The professional and supportive staff make an often frustrating technical situation, dare I say, enjoyable. They always go above and beyond to find answers to unique problems. Their response time is unbelievably fast. I could not more highly recommend!!

    Stephanie Howland
  • The nonprofit that I work for contracts with navitend for tech support. I am so grateful for this service! The support team is highly trained, friendly, professional, and is able to figure out any and every situation that requires help. I recently had a rather lengthy software installation and worked with Andrea who was amazing. I can't recommend Navitend highly enough. I'd give more stars if I could!

    Claire Lynch
  • Thanks so much!  You are a class act!  
    You and your team have really done an excellent job on this!

    Steve Van Ooteghem, The C12 Group in Houston, Texas
  • Thank you to Anthony at navitend for the time and effort he put into trying to resolve the issues my laptop was experiencing. I so appreciated his tenacity, professionalism and good humor as we tried (and tried) to figure out a solution. Anthony made sure I understood what was happening at all times, explained things thoroughly and followed up when promised.

    Maria DG
  • De'Ana gave great insight on billing issues. I recommend navitend for all IT services.

    Christian Majeste
  • I needed to have the battery on my computer replaced. Andrea met me in person to complete that task. While with her, Andrea was able to assist me with a variety of software and computer setup issues. Andrea was pleasant, professional and patient with me and I greatly appreciated her assistance. She came to address one need but was able to fix several for which I am grateful. I think she is an asset to the Navitend team! Thanks again Andrea.

    George Xuereb
  • We've dedicated our lives to growing our retail and ecommerce business and it's a relief to have found a company like navitend who treats our business likes it's their own. navitend's personal approach to project management and problem solving are top-notch.

    Stamatis, Co-owner Twisted Lily, Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary
  • Their technicians? Unsurpassed, each and every one of them. They make me and my co-workers feel as though they are just sitting in their office waiting for us to call them with a problem so they can solve it right away. They treat us as if we are their only client. Talk about great customer service. Call them, you'll be glad you did.

    Kathy Molyneaux
  • Best costumer service!! They are the nicest and most patient people. I highly highly recommend!!!!

    Stephanie Samuel
  • Anthony was very helpful and solved all my issues promptly. I appreciate all his hard work. Thank you navitend and Anthony.

    Kyle Hersh
  • I am truly impressed by the focus the team places on the requests from our company. Truly an excellent team!!

    Josefina and Christian Abboud
  • I have been working with navitend for 10+ years. Great group of talented professionals!

    Anne Wisnewski
  • I highly recommend navitend for their professionalism, integrity, down-to-earth advice and thoughtful recommendations. Every solution that they offer is unique and the most appropriate to their customers' needs.

    Paula Muller
  • The tech's at navitend are very knowledgeable and thorough. Corey was patient and kept looking into every avenue until he found the issue and fixed it. Thank you so much you guys are great.

    Lisa Palanchi, COO / Camp Six Inc.
  • Everyone at navitend I have worked with has offered some of the best customer service I have had. They are patient, knowledgeable and somehow remember my and my colleagues' names. After working with other IT support, I am thrilled my organization is using their services.

    Robyn Ulmer
  • I wanted to personally thank Corey for always helping me with any concerns I have about my software inquiry issues. He is quick with his responses and I am always up to date with all my connectivity. Always a great experience! Thank you!

    Blerina Pano
  • navitend is a professional company providing Quality service, great customer service and prompt response to service needs.

    Tammie Horsfield
  • navitend has been a great IT partner for our company.  Their helpdesk response time is the best I have experienced in my 30 year career.  navitend has helped me to have great IT services without the need to have a full time, in house, technician at significant savings to our company.

    Bob Bradley, President, Bradley Graphics