Monday, March 11, 2013

Protecting Yourself from Identity Fraud When Filing Tax Refunds Online


With the proliferation of hackers and fraudulent scams both online and offline, you need identity fraud protection more than ever. This is especially crucial when it is time to file for a tax refund. There is a growing problem of stolen personal information from health records, schools, insurance companies, and nursing homes, among others. As tax season is now in full swing there is a possibility that your Social Security Number may be used to file a tax refund.

To avoid such problems, one should consider setting up identity fraud detection alerts. In the case of tax refund identity theft, however, you may have to do more such as checking with the IRS to find out if there is more than one tax refund filed under your name. And if you have unpaid dues that you are unaware of, this also indicates that someone else is taking advantage of your vulnerability.

If you want to minimize the possibility of being victimized, make it a point to ask for a copy of your free credit score regularly. Also, don’t carry around your Social Security card, and keep your computer inaccessible from malicious attacks by installing a firewall or anti-spam software. The last step is the most important, especially if you plan to file your tax refund online.

As you can see, identity protection is a must if you want to enjoy secure online transactions. Why wait for anything bad to happen to you before you start protecting yourself? Get Smarter ID today by checking out what they can offer for your identity theft protection.

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