File as soon as possible. When it comes to filing taxes, those who put
it off until the last minute face greater risk. Fraudsters may try to
claim a refund using your identity before you have a chance to submit a
legitimate claim. Remember, this is not YOUR refund, but a made up
refund using your personal identification.
Don’t trust that phone call or email. A common scam involves a fraudster
contacting the victim, claiming to be from the IRS and demanding that
the taxpayer owes money and must pay immediately. They ask for bank
account, credit card or other financial information. The IRS can get
very aggressive when it wants tax dollars, however this government
agency does not call and act like an illegal collection agency, no one
should provide personal information over the phone or by email.
Check your credit history. If your tax information has been stolen,
there is a great possibility your entire credit history is at risk.
Information in your report can indicate if your identity has been used
for purposes beyond refund fraud. Reviewing your credit report will
inform you if anyone has been opening lines of credit in your name. Make
sure all of your information is accurate and includes only those
accounts and transactions you have authorized.
If you are a victim, create an Identity Theft Report and file a police
report with your local police department. An Identity Theft Report will
help you deal with credit reporting companies, debt collectors, and
businesses that gave the identity thief credit or opened new accounts in
your name. If you have been the victim of identity theft, having a
record on file will help you repair the damage to your credit report and
deal with any creditors who are attempting to collect on fraudulent
charges. It will also place an extended fraud alert on your credit
report, which can help prevent further fraudulent activity moving forward.
