New phishing emails from scammers are posing as state accounting and professional associations to lure tax pros into volunteering sensitive info, the IRS said.

Tax professionals have reported getting emails that tried to trick them into disclosing their email usernames and passwords. Cybercriminals targeted tax pros in Iowa, Illinois, New Jersey and North Carolina. The IRS also received reports about a Canadian accounting association.

“We kindly request that you follow this link HERE and sign in with your email to view this information from (name of accounting association) to all active members,” the email reads. “This announcement has been updated for your kind information through our secure information sharing portal which is linked to your email server.”

Practitioners need to be on guard: Cybercriminals easily change their tactics, using other association names or making other adjustments in their scam attempts, the IRS said. Practitioners who belong to professional associations should go directly to those associations’ websites rather than open any links or attachments.

Practitioners who receive suspicious emails related to taxes or the IRS, or phishing attempts to gain access to practitioner databases, should forward those emails to phishing@irs.gov.

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