Identity theft and tax season
It’s tax season. It’s an annual occurrence, happening at the same time of year, every year. And in observance, here’s our annual phishing, scamming and identity theft warning with tips for avoiding getting taken to the cleaners … by anyone but the IRS.
Your mailbox
- If you don’t already have one, buy a locking mailbox before your W2 is delivered. Just think how easy it is to commit identity theft with just that one piece of stolen mail.
- If you’re going to mail in your tax return, don’t leave it in your mailbox. Instead, mail it from the post office or US Postal Service mailbox.
- Employers are required to send W2s by January 31. If you haven’t received yours within a few days after that date, call your employer to confirm it was mailed. If so, immediately order a credit report to see if you’re already an identity theft victim. Contact the IRS to alert them that your W2 may have been stolen.
Your phone
- The IRS would never call you asking for personal information regarding your taxes – that would be too fast and easy. If someone calls under this pretense, it’s a sure bet they’re vishing and are bent on identity theft.
Your computer
- Most people files their taxes over the Internet, leaving millions of people vulnerable to phishing scams. Just like the IRS would never contact you by phone requesting your personal or financial information, it would never email you asking for it either.
- Scammers often include a “click here” link within their emails. Never click on it. If you do you’ll likely be led to a website that will deliver spyware to your computer to commit identity theft.
- Using file-sharing software leaves your computer and all the information on it wide open to identity theft. If you share your computer with other people, make sure they know not to install file-sharing software for music or movie downloads.
Tags: avoid identity theft, ID theft, Identity Theft, identity theft protection, Tax season
