Big Bear Lake, CA, March 27, 2013 – It’s time to file your taxes, and you should be aware of safety precautions to protect your personal identity from being stolen. During tax season, a lot of sensitive, private information is exchanged causing consumers to be vulnerable. The following five tips will protect your personal identification during tax preparation:
- Know Who’s Helping You: Work with someone familiar and trustworthy. If you’re thinking of hiring a new accountant or using a tax preparation service, do some research first and check with the Better Business Bureau for complaints.
- File Your Taxes As Soon As Possible: Filing sooner rather than later gives identity thieves less time to file tax returns with stolen Social Security numbers.
- Use Secure WiFi to E-File: If you’re filing through TurboTax or another online program, be sure to send your personal information through a secure password protected wireless Internet connection.
- Mail Taxes Personally: If you’re mailing your tax forms using the US Postal Service, don’t put your taxes in someone else’s hands. Mail the information directly at the post office and cut out the middleman.
- Watch Out for IRS Email Scams: A huge red flag is an “IRS email”, this is likely a phishing scam, since proper notification for personal information will only be sent to you from the IRS through regular mail.
