Now that W-2’s are arriving, it’s time to consider how to stay safe from tax season scams. Every year, unfortunate taxpayers go to file their returns and are shocked to find that someone else has filed a fraudulent one in their name! Some innocent people also receive fraudulent phone calls from criminals impersonating tax officials. Sadly, tax fraud has only become more widespread and digital communication has opened new ways for it to happen.
While the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reports on multiple tax-payer related scams, and even publishes a “Dirty Dozen” list , three scams variants are worth highlighting: Phishing and Malware Schemes; Identity Theft and Falsely Filed Tax Returns; and Impersonation Scams. Once criminals have your information, they can also continue to commit identity theft well beyond tax season. Here are some details on each of these scams, along with how to identify them and seek help in case of identity theft.
More information for staying safe during this tax season is available on the Center for Internet Security site.
