Be wary of ID theft on Tax Scams

Right now it’s tax season and one of the more under-reported issues relating to tax season is Identify Theft arising from thieves hoping to use your personal information in filing a tax return for a tax refund.   Here are a few symptoms of ID theft when it pertains to taxes and the IRS.

• On your tax return, you were paid wages from an employer whom you do not work for
• The IRS notifies you that your information has been used in another tax return
• The IRS notifies you that you have filed more than one tax return

If you or anyone you know has had these occurrences happen to them, contact the IRS promptly .  There are several steps to making sure that you are as safe as possible from Identity Theft regarding tax returns, a few of these steps can be used outside the realm of tax reporting.

• Beware of scammers who impersonate the IRS.  If someone claiming to be from the IRS contacts you from e-mail or social media engines requesting information or notifying you of an audit or refund, or contacting know that the IRS does not initiate contact from those channels.  When in doubt, do nothing and contact the IRS from their website.
• Protect your information on the Tax Return.  Make sure that your tax return is stored on a CD/Flash drive instead of on the hard drive.

If you follow these steps as well as being cognizant of the symptoms of ID theft, more often than not you will be safe from fraudulent tax returns.