Thursday, February 13, 2014

File Your Tax Return Before A Hacker Files For You

If you are not already motivated to file you tax returns, the thought of a hacker filing with your information and obtaining your refund should be motivation enough.

As part of what we are seeing from the unraveling of the Target data breach scandal, it is clear that hackers are fully engaged in tax fraud.  According to a 2013 report from the Treasury Inspector General's office, The IRS issued $4 billion in bogus tax refund checks in 2012.  The money went to sophisticated criminal enterprises who stole social security numbers and filed returns under an alternative address.

If you have been a victim of such a scam, you should contact The Identity Protection Inspection Unit of the IRS at 1-800-908-4490.  If you are the victim of identity theft and think you need to take legal action, you can contact me and I will evaluate your legal claims.