Protecting Your Identity During Tax Season

Statement

Protecting Your Identity During Tax Season

Tax season - and all of the headache and stress it entails - is upon us. Unfortunately, there are those who would view the confusion and frustration of taxpayers as an opportunity to rob unsuspecting individuals of their money and even their identity.

Identity theft - the use of an individual's name, financial information, Social Security number, or credit card without permission to commit fraud or theft - is a serious problem. The government estimates more than nine million Americans have their identities stolen each year.

Victims of identity theft can spend thousands of dollars and considerable time and effort into putting their financial lives back in order.

Scam artists will often take advantage of the confusing processes and various forms which come with tax season to try to trick unsuspecting tax filers into revealing personal or financial information - a technique called "phishing."

Taxpayers should be aware of several tax scams common during the tax filing season and beyond. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has called attention to the following known scams:

Phone call:

Consumers receive a phone call from an individual identifying himself as an IRS employee needing bank account information in order to process a sizable tax rebate by way of direct deposit.

In reality, the IRS does not gather financial information by telephone. Further, the IRS does not force taxpayers to use direct deposit - it can only be opted into by completing the appropriate section of a tax return.

Another tactic used by scammers is to tell the victim they are calling to follow-up on a rebate check which has not been deposited. The caller then asks to verify the individual's bank account number, supposedly in order to send a replacement check.

The fact is it is entirely up to the individual to deposit a paper check, and the IRS does not investigate uncashed checks. Again, the IRS will never contact an individual to verify bank routing and account numbers.

E-Mail:

Bogus e-mails informing the recipient of eligibility for a tax refund for a specific amount, and instructs the recipient to click on a link in the e-mail to access a refund claim form. The form asks the recipient to enter personal information which can then be used to access the victim's bank or credit card account.

In another scam, an e-mail notifies the victim their tax return is subject to an audit. The e-mail contains instructions to fill out a variety of forms with personal and financial account information.

In fact, the IRS does not send unsolicited, tax-account related e-mails to taxpayers.

Those who have received a questionable e-mail claiming to come from the IRS may forward it to phishing@irs.govThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . DO NOT OPEN ANY ATTACHMENTS IN QUESTIONABLE E-MAILS. Doing so may put your computer at risk.

Those who have received a questionable phone call claiming to be from the IRS may also use phishing@irs.govThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it to notify the IRS of the scam.

One of the unfortunate realities of the astounding leaps in technology over the past several years is there now exists several other avenues for those who would prey on the innocent and well-meaning. Just as we have the duty to protect our physical property, we must also be as vigilant when protecting our online security and identity.

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