Safety Tips During Tax Season

Identity theft is a major problem that often increases during tax season. With the April 17 deadline rapidly approaching, it is important to remain vigilant for attempts by criminals to obtain your personal information.

A criminal who gets your name, Social Security number and other identifying information can file a fraudulent tax return in your name and collect the refund that should have gone to you.

Often an unsuspecting victim won’t find out what happened until his own legitimate tax return is flagged for denial.

It is important that taxpayers protect their personal information. If you think your personal information has been stolen and used for fraudulent tax purposes, contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 800-908-4490. 

Criminals have a couple of ways of tricking victims into revealing their personal or financial information online.

Phishing occurs when thieves use phony email addresses or websites to contact victims, often while posing as the IRS. The email address may differ only slightly from a legitimate one, making confusion easy. A suspicious email or an “IRS” Web address that does not begin with http://www.irs.gov should be forwarded to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.

Spyware is another tool used to steal personal information. Spyware consists of computer software that gathers and reports information about a computer user without the user's knowledge or consent. The software is downloaded onto the taxpayer’s computer when he or she opens an email attachment or clicks a link sent by the thief.

The best advice is never to open an attachment or click on a link sent by someone you do not know. Legitimate financial institutions generally will not contact you by email to confirm your personal information, username or pass code. If you are unsure about the legitimacy of an email sent from your financial institution or the IRS, call the institution by the publicly listed phone number, not the one in the email, to verify authenticity.

Whenever possible, use IRS direct deposit to avoid the chance that your tax refund check will be stolen from your mailbox.

For more information on tax-related identity theft, visit the IRS' identity theft resource page.