Technologies

Tax Scams Are Preying on Last-Minute Filers

If you still haven’t filed your taxes, think before you click.

There’s less than a month to go before this year’s income tax filing deadline, and security experts are warning consumers to be on the lookout for tax-related scams and other attempts to steal their refunds and personal information.

Just a heads up that like last year, this year’s federal income tax deadline is April 18 — three days later than usual — thanks to a weekend and Emancipation Day, which is observed in Washington, DC. But the more you procrastinate, the more likely you are to fall victim to some kind of tax-related cybercrime.

Scammers can capitalize on your last-minute efforts to play catch-up if you don’t take a beat before clicking on a dubious link or handing over personal information. Either action could put you at risk for financial fraud or identity theft.

Tax-season scammers often impersonate the IRS, tax professionals or online filing websites, said David Putnam, head of identity and protection for LifeLock, a provider of consumer identity theft protections.

Phishing emails, texts and even phone calls designed to look like they’re from the IRS, or an IRS agent, are a common sight this time of year. They might threaten jail time or big fines if the targeted person doesn’t pay what the cybercriminals might claim are back or overdue taxes.

Those are all sure signs of a scam, Putnam said.

«The IRS only communicates through snail mail, so if you get a text message claiming to be from the IRS, you’ll know you’re actually being contacted by a scammer,» he said.

The IRS also doesn’t take payments in the forms of cryptocurrency or gift cards, making requests for back taxes in those forms obvious signs of a scam too.

Phishing emails could also carry fake tax forms that look like they’re coming from an employer or a bank, said Ravi Srinivasan, CEO of Votiro, a cybersecurity company that specializes in the secure transfer of data.

Srinivasan said consumers are used to getting lots of these files from lots of different places. They’re not necessarily going to think twice before opening up an attachment that could contain malware instead of a tax form.

«Do they know that it’s clean? Do they know that it’s safe?» he asked. «They don’t. They just hope that it is and the bad actors know that.»

When consumers do file, it’s critical that they make sure they’re using a legitimate tax preparation service, since tax returns are chock full of people’s most sensitive personal information, including their Social Security numbers.

Unsolicited offers to file your taxes for you should be regarded with skepticism, Putnam said. They could be part of a «ghost preparation scam,» where a cybercriminal impersonates a tax professional and promises a large refund that never appears or steals your refund by routing it to another account.

They also could collect your personal information through a website spoofing of a legitimate tax preparation service, then use it to file a false tax return and claim your refund, he said.

«Remember, if you enter any personal information on a spoofed website, scammers will have access to it,» he said.

Here are a few tips from the IRS and others for staying alert.

File early. OK. The ship may have already sort of sailed on this one, but the earlier you file, the less time cybercriminals have to use your identity to commit fraud.

Watch out for phishing and smishing. The IRS won’t send unsolicited emails or texts. Skip the links and attachments and go straight to the IRS or the applicable state and city websites.

Get a PIN. File this tip under things to remember for next year. Taxpayers who can validate their identities with the IRS can obtain an identity protection PIN, a six-digit code that prevents a cybercriminal from filing a fraudulent tax return with your Social Security number.

Fight back against fraud. If you discover someone has filed a tax return in your name, complete a paper return and include form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit), Putnam said. Report the fraud to local law enforcement and the Federal Trade Commission. Monitor your credit reports and account statements and contact the three major credit bureaus to ask for a freeze so that no one can request new credit in your name.

Always use good passwords and 2FA. These are both a must for any account related to your tax returns and documents. Make sure you’re using good antivirus software and that it, along with your operating system, is up to date. While you’re at it, back up your tax information to a removable drive or encrypted cloud storage. Paper copies and drives should be securely stored.

Know who you’re dealing with. If you’re self-filing online, make sure you’re using a reputable service. If you hire someone to do it for you, make sure they’re who they say they are. Be especially careful when submitting documents both online and on paper. Any decent tax professional or service will use a secure portal, not ask you to email them unprotected. Paper documents shouldn’t be left on a desk for anyone to find.

Shred everything. Tax documents that are no longer needed must be properly destroyed. Dumpster diving still happens. Don’t be tempted to toss them in the trash and definitely don’t put them in the recycling.

Technologies

Pope Francis’ Funeral: How to Stream Live or Watch the Replay

Here’s how to stream the pope’s funeral very early Saturday, and what you can expect to see during the service.

After a week of global mourning for Pope Francis, who died on Monday at age 88, the pope’s funeral will be celebrated on Saturday . Francis’ funeral will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. local time at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City (which is very, very early if you’re tuning in from the US or Canada), and he will be laid to rest at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

The Vatican will be livestreaming the papal funeral and procession, though not the burial, on its YouTube channel as it happens. The funeral will also be televised live on CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox, as well as on streaming services like Disney Plus, Hulu, Peacock and Paramount Plus. Due to the time difference, it seems likely that many interested North American viewers will catch it when it’s replayed later on Saturday. Numerous networks will rebroadcast the service later that day.

If you choose to stay up, or get up early, here’s when the live broadcast of the pope’s funeral will air in your time zone in the continental US on April 26:

ET: 4 a.m.
CT: 3 a.m.
MT: 2 a.m.
PT: 1 a.m.

The papacy of Pope Francis was notable for the progressive reforms he brought to the Roman Catholic Church. He appointed more than half of the current College of Cardinals and attempted to foster more positive attitudes toward members of the LGBT community and migrants worldwide.

What to expect from the funeral

The funeral will follow many rituals, though not all traditional protocols will be followed. Most popes are buried in St. Peter’s Basilica or its grottoes, but the AP reports Francis chose the St. Mary Major Basilica to reflect his veneration of an icon of the Virgin Mary that is located there, the Salus Populi Romani (Salvation of the People of Rome).

His funeral will be less elaborate than those of other popes per his own wishes. Francis simplified papal funeral rites last year, permitting his burial outside the Vatican, and emphasizing his role as a bishop rather than as pope (the pope is also the Bishop of Rome).

Previous popes were buried in three coffins: one of cypress, one of lead and one of oak. Francis requested to be buried in a single wooden, zinc-lined coffin and not to be placed in an elevated bier as other popes were.

The coffin will be taken from St Peter’s Basilica and placed on a dais in St Peter’s Square, where Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will lead the service. After the service, the coffin will return to St Peter’s Basilica before it is carried across the River Tiber and to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major for burial. The ceremony is estimated to end around 2 p.m. local time, or four hours after it begins.

Pope Francis’ funeral Mass will be the first of nine Masses held daily at St. Peter’s until May 4. This is an ancient tradition of the Catholic Church that observes nine days of consecutive mourning. According to Vatican News, a different group of mourners will participate each day, though the Eucharistic celebrations are open to everyone.

Who will attend Pope Francis’ funeral?

Hundreds of people, including world leaders and royals, are expected to attend Pope Francis’ funeral.

US president Donald Trump confirmed on his Truth Social Platform that he and first lady Melania Trump will be at the funeral. This will be Trump’s first foreign trip in his second term. He is expected to have a seat in the third row, though the Vatican has yet to release an official seating chart. It is tradition for the first row of seats to go to Catholic royalty, and the second row to non-Catholic royals.

Prince William, who is attending on behalf of King Charles, will sit in the second row, which is reserved for non-Catholic royals. Former president Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, devout Catholics, will also attend the funeral.

Conclave: What happens next to choose the new pope

After Pope Francis’ funeral, the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will vote on his successor in an assembly of cardinals known as a conclave.

There are many matters for the cardinals to settle before the conclave begins, but once it does, it can take days or even weeks to conclude. Two-thirds of the cardinals’ votes are required to elect the next pope. The conclave occurs behind closed doors and the vote tally is never made public.

Read more: Where to Watch Conclave, the Vatican Thriller About Electing a New Pope

Look for the white smoke

The ballots are burned after each round, and chemicals are added to the flames to produce black smoke if there’s no majority. When a new pope has been selected, the chemicals will be added to the flames so they produce white smoke. Crowds gather in St. Peter’s Square to watch for the results.

If you’re fascinated by the process, you can watch a dramatized version of the events in 2024 film Conclave.

In the movie, Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, who spearheads the election of the next pope while investigating rumors about potential candidates. The film is based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris and is completely fictional — though it does represent some of the events of how actual papal conclaves take place. In March, the film won the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.

You can stream Conclave on Amazon Prime Video, or rent it for $6 on Apple TV, Fandango at Home, YouTube or Google Play Movies.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 26, #685

Hints and answers for Connections for April 26, #685.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections puzzle features a lot of short words, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. That purple category requires a lot of thinking — probably most people will solve it only by solving the other three and having four words left over. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Rainbow.

Green group hint: San Fernando ____.

Blue group hint: Think Robert.

Purple group hint: Mixed-up hue words.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Tint.

Green group: Valley.

Blue group: Bobs.

Purple group: Color anagrams.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is tint. The four answers are color, hue, shade and tone.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is valley. The four answers are dale, dell, glen and hollow.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Bobs. The four answers are Dole, Hope, Marley and Ross.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is color anagrams. The four answers are Dre (red), Gary (gray), genre (green) and lube (blue).

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 26, #215

Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 215, for Saturday, April 26.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Connections: Sports Edition is tough today. The purple category theme threw me because of one phrase I didn’t know. And let’s hope you’re familiar with college coach surnames. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Try to achieve.

Green group hint: Move through it.

Blue group hint: Sideline bosses.

Purple group hint: Like a carton.