ALBANY – Cybercriminals have a new scam that has already taken in 65 companies throughout the state and harvested more than 7,000 employees’ Social Security numbers.
Posing as company executives, the crooks send email messages to payroll and human resource workers requesting lists of employees and their personal information.
The State Department Of Taxation and Finance says several industries were affected, including healthcare, legal services and manufacturing.
Social Security numbers for 7,100 employees from New York City, the Capital District, Central New York and Western New York were turned over to the cyber crooks.
The emails appear legitimate because they contain the name of the company’s chief executive officer.
“If you receive such an email, don’t respond even if the sender continues to send emails demanding information,” the Tax Department said in a warning released Friday. “Never provide any payroll data, such as W-2 forms and Social Security numbers, through email.”
Those who have been contacted by scammers were asked to contact the state Division of Consumer protection at 800-697-1220 or visit the Department of Taxation and Fiances’ website.