With tax season in full swing, you are busy getting all your documents together and making sure to get your best refund. The one thing you don’t have time for is fraud. Tax identity theft is when a fraudster steals another person’s personal information and uses it to file the individual’s tax return to claim it as their own. Here are a few tips on how to protect yourself against tax fraud.  

Keep an eye out for your W-2s

The first step to getting started on your taxes is to get your W-2 from your employer(s). But how will they be delivered? Your employer may deliver them to your desk or mail them to you. Either way, make sure to check with your HR if you feel the paperwork should have already arrived. Thieves will steal W-2s from mailboxes to commit tax identity theft. That is why it is extremely important to be mindful of when your W-2 should arrive and to check your mailbox every day.    

Check the Wi-Fi

When you have all your paperwork and are ready to start filing your taxes, think about what wi-fi you are connected to. Do not use wi-fi that is accessible to the public. Thieves can hack the public wi-fi and when you are connected, steal all your personal information. For your tax returns, make sure the wi-fi you use is secure and private to remove this potential threat of tax identity theft.   

Research your Tax Preparer

Looking for some assistance on your taxes? A tax preparer is a great way to get the best results on your return. Before you select a tax preparer and send them all your very personal information, make sure to do some research. Ask about their credentials and make sure to get references to make sure they are a legitimate source. Fraudsters know when tax season is and will pretend to be tax preparers to steal your information.  

File your tax return as early as possible

Not only will filing your taxes early get it off your plate but it will reduce the chance of tax identity theft. Thieves won’t be able to commit tax identity theft with your information because you will have already used it. A clear warning that someone has stolen your information is when you try to e-file your taxes but receive a duplicate Social Security number. If this happens to you, make sure to report it to the IRS immediately.

Secure or Shred Personal Information

When doing your taxes, you are dealing with a lot of personal information. Any documents you do not want to hold on to, make sure to shred those documents before throwing them away. Thieves will go dumpster diving to find personal information to steal your identity. Some documents, like your W-2s, will need to be held onto for different life events. In these cases, any documents that you will hold on to need to be placed in a secure location, like a locked filing cabinet. This will help prevent potential tax identity theft.

Tax identity theft is a widespread problem in our society today, but you can protect yourself with these tips. If you do have theft on your tax return, make sure to report it to the IRS and FTC by visiting IdentityTheft.gov.

Source: IRS.gov