Identity theft has been identified as one of the fastest growing crimes in the country, lately listed by the IRS as one of the top five tax scams. In just two years, the IRS saw the number of tax fraud cases improve from 50,000 in 2008 to 250,000 in 2010. That number is most likely to grow, as both tax fraud and identity theft may possibly go unnoticed for some time before becoming discovered.
Identity theft occurs when an individual's individual info is utilised by others for their own financial gain, at great expense to the victim. Your identity can be stolen by any individual who's able to secure access to your personal details. Identity thieves can obtain your information by stealing or copying important documents, accessing electronically stored information, or by deception in the form of phishing.
Phishing is really a method utilised by would-be identity thieves to trick customers into sharing their personal data. Phishers pose as a legitimate organization or business that the target could be familiar with, such as a bank, an e-merchant, or a charitable organization. You could get an e-mail asking you for your password for "security reasons," or directing you to a seemingly official webpage where your personal info is collected on the pretense of receiving free of charge goods, employment, or significant sums of funds. Though a lot of phishing scams of the past, including the "Nigerian Prince" scam, were more easily identifiable as suspicious and possibly fraudulent, today's phishers are far a lot more sophisticated, and many are deceived by these attacks.
Follow these guidelines to defend your self from phishers:
Do not open emails, download attachments, or click on links from people which you don't know. Mark these emails as spam.
Should you be on a web site which you didn't go to directly and you are asked for your individual details, check to view the site's security certificate. Don't provide any individual info on a site that doesn't have a valid security certificate.
Use secure passwords that contain no dictionary words, are at the very least 8 characters long, and include both letters, numbers, and special characters like or & if possible. Choose a different password for each account, so that if one account is compromised, the other accounts will not be at risk.
Do not buy into offers that promise to give you cash in exchange for your personal data, and always be suspicious of unsolicited job offers or even unexpected tax refunds. Trust your instincts -- if an offer sounds too good to be true, it is probably a scam.
Never fill out forms requesting individual information within an email, even if the email appears to be from a business you trust.
The government is taking steps to combat identity theft, and you can report phishing sites by sending an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The IRS has a 3949-A form which you can fill out online to report any fraud activity or suspicions of becoming scammed. In the event you think that your identity has been stolen, report your case by contacting the Free Trade Commission on 1-800-ID-THEFT.
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