Protecting Your Personal Information During Tax Season
By Wiss Associate
As accountants, we understand that your identity is just as important as your financial well-being. With tax season just around the corner, scammers will use this opportunity to get access to personal information. Some common strategies include receiving calls from:
- A self-proclaimed “Governmental Agency”
- U.S. Treasury or IRS
- Sweepstake entry representative
We’ve all heard stories of someone who have fallen victim to these. In today’s technology and information filled world, it is easy to gather a few basic information from the Internet to gain trust to private information.
What to do before and after you encounter these scammers:
- Send out a warning to your network (family, friends, colleagues, accountant)
- Gather the scammer’s information or phone number and report it to the Federal Trade Commission
- Report IRS impersonations here
- If it’s too late and you have already given them too much information, call 800-908-4990 to report the incident. You may be asked to file an IRS Form 14039 to prove your identity.