Digital Smarts - Watch Out for Tax Identity Theft

Identity theft has been called the “crime of the 21^st century.” When your identity is stolen, there are so many potential issues to deal with (changing passwords, closing accounts, dealing with fraudulent charges, placing fraud alerts with the credit bureaus) that you may forget about potential tax fraud. Armed with your personal information, identity thieves can file a fraudulent tax return in your name and receive a refund before you realize your information has been compromised. Sometimes taxpayers are unaware of the breach until they have problems filing their taxes. What do you do if you fall victim to tax-related identity theft? There are several steps to follow in the article Beware of Tax Identity Theft if you believe you are being targeted.