With the tax season rapidly approaching, now is the time to make sure that you take the appropriate steps to prevent identity theft that can result from things going on during the tax season.

During the tax season, your personal information is everywhere. Your employer and income information, along with your social security number, are all data which becomes more easily available during this time. Identity thieves can find these bits of personal information in the mail and elsewhere - which creates the type of identity theft prone environment that identity thieves dream of.

Fortunately, there are steps you can take to prevent identity theft during the tax season that you can use to protect yourself from identity theft.

ID Theft Begins At Your Mailbox

Your mailbox is both your first line of defense against ID theft and your weakest point against ID theft - especially during the tax season. Someone looking to commit ID theft who can access your mail during this season can potentially get their hands on your Social Security number, the name of your employer, how long you’ve worked for your employer, and how much money you make each year. This is extremely valuable information that criminals love to have when they’re looking to commit ID theft.

Criminals who are interested in ID theft have a good idea of when your family’s income tax forms are expected to arrive - so harden your defenses in that area now and look into a locking mailbox.

Hire The Right Person To Do Your Actual Taxes

Think about it for a minute: whoever you choose to do your taxes is going to have access to all of your financial information. If that information doesn’t stay secure, if it gets into the wrong person’s hands, you’ve just completely opened yourself up to ID theft.

Companies such as H&R Block usually keep a small core staff year-round while hiring heavily during the busy tax season. While the vast majority of these seasonal workers are completely trustworthy, the odds are that there are a few bad eggs that slip through the cracks.

To really prevent identity theft, take a little extra time and find a tax preparation service that maintains a year-round staff of seasoned professionals - one that dedicates itself to providing year-round financial services to clients. Trust your personal information to professionals who base their career on building the trust of their clients - not someone who could have potentially taken a job just to get access to the personal information of others.

Be Cautious When Using Online Tax Filing Services


More and more people each year are using online tax filing services, for good reason - they’re fast, relatively easy, and cheaper than an actual accountant.

If you choose to use one of the many online tax filing services, make sure that the site you choose is reputable. It’s easier than you might think for someone interested in stealing valuable personal information to set up a cloned website designed to trick you into giving up that information.

As a general rule, you should never click on a link sent to you via e-mail, and this is doubly true during the tax season. Always type the url of the online tax filing service into your browser, to make sure you’re not going somewhere you shouldn’t. Also, make sure that while you’re on the site, that the secure symbol is showing, which means that all your personal information is encrypted when it’s sent out.

ID theft becomes more common during the tax season as criminals who specialize in ID theft become more active. Prevent identity theft during this tax season by keeping the above tips in mind, and enjoy this tax season without worrying about ID theft.


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