"With holiday shopping starting and the 2023 tax season quickly approaching, many people will be using laptops and personal devices to share sensitive financial information," acting IRS  Commissioner Doug O'Donnell said in a prepared statement.

The sponsors urged extra care for those shopping online or viewing emails and texts, especially during the holiday season when criminals are very active. The Security Summit noted shoppers should keep the following in mind .                                                                                       *Shop at sites where the web address begins with "https".                                                                                                                                 *Avoid use of unsecured public Wi-Fi in places like a mall.                                                                                                                                 *Update security software for computers, tablets and mobile phones .                                                                                                           *Protect the devices od young children, older adults and less technologically savvy users.                                                                              *Ensure anti-virus software has a feature to stop malware and enable firewalls to prevent intrusions.                                                            *Employ strong and unique passwords for online accounts.                                                                                                                                  *Use multi-factor authentication to deter hacking.

Bob Scott

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Bob Scott has provided information to the tax and accounting community since 1991, first as technology editor of Accounting Today, and from 1997 through 2009 as editor of its sister publication, Accounting Technology. He is known throughout the industry for his depth of knowledge and for his high journalistic standards.  Scott has made frequent appearances as a speaker, moderator and panelist and events serving tax and accounting professionals. He  has a strong background in computer journalism as an editor with two former trade publications, Computer+Software News and MIS Week and spent several years with weekly and daily newspapers in Morris County New Jersey prior to that.  A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in journalism, Bob is a native of Madison, Ind