Can you think of someone who has been a victim of identity theft?
Most everyone can think of at least one person who has had their identity stolen. Identity theft is quite common, but most people don’t think about their identity getting stolen and having to deal with the IRS. By now everyone has heard of the recent stories of taxpayers having their ID’s stolen and fraudulent tax returns filed for them. This is a common occurrence during tax season. Taxpayers don’t realize they have become victims of tax identity theft until they get a notice from the IRS. Identity theft is something everyone needs to keep an eye on. It is easy to fall victim of identity theft because of all the online activities and social networking.
How will you know that your ID has been used to file a fraudulent tax return?
Typically the taxpayer finds out about the identity theft in a notice from the IRS. Typical notices that will be sent to the taxpayer tipping them off to the identity theft would be the IRS saying there were two returns filed, a notice for a year or form you didn’t file, and a notice that states you received income from somewhere you have never heard of.
Is there a way to check prior to receiving an IRS notice?
Yes, if you feel or become aware that your identity has been stolen it is good to have your IRS transcripts pulled. You can obtain your IRS transcripts by calling the IRS or you can hire professional help. Contact us and we can pull your transcripts for you through the IRS tax professionals program.
What are some things to help prevent identity theft?
- Check your credit scores once a year. (You can pull them for free)
- Don’t give personal information to just anyone.
- Don’t carry your SS card with you.
- Change passwords and don’t have same passwords for everything.
- Make sure personal and financial information is secure and protected.
- If you get an email that looks like it is legitimately from a certain business. Go to a different web browser and type their website in. There are so many phishing emails out there and bad links in the emails.
- Purchase Identity theft protection.
With all the technology out there please be very cautious about your financial and personal information. It can be something simple as forgetting to turn your debit card face down when paying at a restaurant. With all the camera phones out there someone can easily walk by and get your number. Again, be careful with your personal and financial information.