An IP PIN, you ask – what is it? Well, it is an Identity Protection PIN which prevents the filing of a tax return using your Social Security Number by someone other than you. These PINs have been around for several years but were issued only when someone had fraudulent activity on their account or […]
The Internal Revenue Service continues in its fight against cyber criminals and is constantly finding new ways that these criminals are obtaining information. There is no limit to the means in which crimes can occur. Whether through a telephone call, text message or email, the con artist tries to convince the recipient that they need […]
We seem to be inundated with information to the extent that we can be overwhelmed. What should we pay attention to? What isn’t relevant to our situation? Is the information being provided valid and authentic? So, what should we do? First of all, be cautious on the source of the information. Is it from a […]
I mentioned in a prior article that individuals would be able to participate in the identity protection PIN program. This PIN is a six-digit number assigned to eligible taxpayers to help prevent misuse of Social Security Numbers being used on fraudulent federal income tax returns. If you would like to take advantage of this program, […]
Fake Payments with Repayment Demands: Criminals are always finding new ways to trick taxpayers into believing their scam including putting a bogus refund into the taxpayer’s actual bank account. Here’s how the scam works: A con artist steals or obtains a taxpayer’s personal data including Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) and […]
Scams targeting non-English speakers: IRS impersonators and other scammers also target groups with limited English proficiency. These scams are often threatening in nature. Some scams also target those potentially receiving an Economic Impact Payment and request personal or financial information from the taxpayer. Phone scams pose a major threat to people with limited access to […]
This week we continue our IRS Dirty Dozen list of tax scams. Social Media Scams: Taxpayers need to protect themselves against social media scams, which frequently use events like COVID-19 to try tricking people. Social media enables anyone to share information with anyone else on the Internet. Scammers use that information as ammunition for a […]
Each year, the Internal Revenue Service releases its annual “Dirty Dozen” list of tax scams. This year, there is a special emphasis on aggressive and evolving schemes related to coronavirus tax relief, including Economic Impact Payments. I will be sharing this year’s “Dirty Dozen” over the course of the next four blogs. “Tax scams tend […]
Yep, your cell phone can easily be hijacked – taken over by criminals. And, this isn’t just phone calls, but EVERYTHING on your phone – emails, bank information, photos, etc., Everything is vulnerable. So, what do you have on your phone? Anything that is sensitive? With information available online, it is not difficult to get […]
There cannot be enough said these days about protecting yourself and your electronics. We have conditioned ourselves to the need to have access every minute, it seems. But, do we really stop and think about safety and security when we are using free public WiFi? Should we? We should be very concerned when using free […]
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