The Wall Street Journal had a great article this past weekend on identity theft tax refund fraud. I have been talking about this crime in my presentations and ways to stay protected so you don’t become a victim. Here is some additional advice from the article:
“Probe your preparer. If you use a tax preparer, ask about the firm’s data protection. Experts say that respected old-line, stand-alone tax and accounting firms are currently rich targets for thieves looking to harvest large amounts of data to use in preparing credible returns that will slip by fraud filters.
Change your passwords. This is one of the most important tips for self-preparers. Make passwords strong and don’t use the same one for different portals.
Also practice good security hygiene: resist giving out your Social Security number and other personal information; shred paper records before disposing of them; and use antivirus protection in your computer.”