Our firm takes security very seriously. We want to begin with a reminder that tax identity theft is a growing problem. With fraudsters becoming much more sophisticated and large breaches happening so frequently — such as the 2017 Equifax incident, which affected 143 million American consumers —tax identity theft remains a concern.
Unfortunately, it can take many forms, so beware if you:
- Receive a notice or letter from the Internal Revenue Service regarding a tax return, tax bill or income that doesn’t apply to you. It’s possible someone has filed a false return using your employer identification information or Social Security number to claim a refund or get a job.
- Get an unsolicited email or another form of communication asking for either your personal financial details or business information such as payroll or employee data. The IRS doesn’t contact taxpayers using email, text or social media channels, so it’s likely a scammer is trying to steal your confidential information.
- Receive a robocall insisting you must call back and settle your tax bill. The IRS doesn’t initiate contact by phone (they do so by mail), demand immediate payment over the phone, threaten to arrest you or demand your credit or debit card number or that you use a certain payment method — such as a gift card — to pay your taxes.
- If you receive any suspicious communications from the IRS, report the contact by filling out the IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting form or calling 800.366.4484. We also urge you to contact our office for advice whenever you receive any communication from the IRS or believe you might be a victim of identity theft.
Make sure you’re taking steps to keep your personal financial information safe. Check out the IRS Identity Protection Tips on how to protect yourself from identity theft. Also, filing your return early can sometimes help prevent tax refund fraud. Contact us so we can help you gather your tax information to file as early as possible.