LHDNM AND SYMANTEC OFFER BEST PRACTICES ON E-FILING AND M-FILING

Malaysian taxpayers urged to stay safe when filing taxes and making payments online

Cyberjaya, 25 April – With less than one week to meet the e-Filing and payment (non-business income) deadline of 30 April 2012, Symantec is joining force with Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri Malaysia (LHDNM) to ensure Malaysian taxpayers adopt best practices when filing taxes (tax return forms) and making payments online and through mobile devices. This collaboration is an ongoing initiative of Symantec and LHDNM to build awareness among consumers and businesses to secure and manage their personal and confidential information during the busy tax season.

With the increased broadband, mobile penetration plus the availability of e-Filing, m-Filing and e-Bayaran services in Malaysia, LHDNM is expecting an increasing number of taxpayers to file their taxes online this year. Last year, 2.5 million Malaysian taxpayers filed their taxes online (1.7 million are from e-BE/non-business income individual taxpayers and the balance are from e-B/ business income individual taxpayers).Left Dato' Dr Mohd Shukor LHDN - Right Alex Ong Symantec.

This year, LHDNM has also made available the new and innovative Mobile Filing or m-Filing service that provides the convenience of filing taxes through selected mobile devices for Individual taxpayers without business income. LHDNM is expecting a good response to this new service with the increasing adoption of mobile devices.

“As mobile penetration increases in Malaysia, it made sense to introduce an additional platform to ease accessibility and convenience of filing taxes online,” said Dato’ Dr. Mohd. Shukor bin Haji Mahfar, CEO of LHDNM. “While the Internet and mobility pave the way for greater flexibility, we encourage every taxpayer to exercise precaution through the practice of safe online habits whether on their laptop, tablet, or smartphone device.”

He added, “The online safety of taxpayers is our utmost priority and we are working closely with Symantec and other related organisations to ensure greater awareness of best practices for assured e-Filing, m-Filing, and e-Bayaran experiences.”

Alex Ong, Senior Country Manager of Symantec Malaysia, said, “Taxpayers need to be extra cautious when filing their taxes online, whether through their computers or mobile devices, to ensure the protection of their confidential information such as personal identification number, address, salary, financial and contact details. Symantec encourages Malaysian taxpayers to adopt online security best practices and ensure that their mobile devices are secured prior to transacting online.”

Online Best Practices for e-Filing and m-Filing
To promote safe online behaviour, Symantec has outlined the following best practices for consumers and businesses to keep their identity and confidential information secure when filing taxes and making payments online:
• Protect PCs, financial files on computers, smart phones, tablets and Internet connection with strong passwords. Choose hard-to-guess passwords for e-Filing and m-Filing, change them regularly and keep them safe.
• Avoid clicking on suspicious links in e-mail or instant messages as these may be links to fake or phishing websites. Type web addresses directly into the browser rather than clicking on links from email or instant message.
• Never reply to requests for personal information in SMS and email messages that ask for personal or financial information or passwords. When in doubt, contact LHDNM directly for verification (Hotline: 1300-88-3010, Email: aduan@hasil.gov.my).
• When using a wireless connection, ensure that the wireless router is security enabled and password protected. Use secure wireless connections and avoid using a public wireless hotspot. If you can’t find one, save the transmissions until you can connect to a secure environment.
• Install good Internet security software and be sure to run a thorough scan of your machine and mobile devices using this software before you begin your tax preparation. Keep the software turned on and up-to-date with latest threat definitions.
• Educate yourself and stay informed on the latest security trends in the market.
• Ensure important information is backed up regularly and copies are stored in a media separate from your computer.
• Perform regular backups. Set up a regular backup schedule for the information on your laptop or mobile devices.
• Log-out every time you have finished.
• Have all your documents ready before starting so you do not leave the e-Filing webpage open for too long.
• Do not wait till the last minute to file your taxes. File your taxes online as early as possible.