Online Tax identity Fraud on the risen

Thankfully, Mary was too Install Avg With License Number activation  avg.com/activation smart to avg.com/retail trust a blind call from a purported IRS representative – because www.avg.com/activate the call was a one of the “imposter” tax fraud scams making the rounds. In this case, a con artist impersonates a government official and tries to bilk trusting taxpayers for un-owed back taxes www.avg.com/activation  . (This type of scam also happened to me last year, though not at tax time!)

Of the 2.5 million consumer www.avg.com/activate complaints avg.com/retail received by the Federal Trade Commission last year received avg.com/activation, the imposter scams were the third most common.  Debt Install Avg With License Number activation  collection scams ranked second www.avg.com/activation  . But at the very top of the list is identity theft. (You can see the full list here.)

In tax identity theft avg.com/activation, scammers steal avg.com/retail Social Security numbers to file for a tax refund before the real taxpayer can. In many cases, victims may not even learn about the fraud Install Avg With License Number activation  until they www.avg.com/activate file a return, www.avg.com/activation   at which point IRS notifies them that the return has already been filed and paid!

The IRS announced  that the number avg.com/retail of tax identity theft cases has doubled each year in recent years. It estimated it has paid out $5.8 billion in fraudulent tax refunds in 2013 because of identity avg.com/activation theft www.avg.com/activation  . The IRS also reported it also was Install Avg With License Number activation  able to stop another 5 million attempts to get fraudulent refunds, which saved taxpayers another $20 billion www.avg.com/activate.

Many tax fraud cases involve stolen social security numbers. CNNMoney reports that hackers stole more than 6.5 www.avg.com/activate million Social Security numbers www.avg.com/activation   last year, with up to 80 million more at risk this Install Avg With License Number activation  year avg.com/activation as part of the Anthem data breach alone avg.com/retail.

2014 is sometimes called the year of the hack and it is clear that while large-scale breaches continue we will surely see elevated rates of www.avg.com/activation   identity theft, especially in the tax season.

Creating Install Avg With License Number activation  a strong password is avg.com/activation much easier avg.com/retail than winning the World Series and in a few simple steps you www.avg.com/activation   can have a password that can help keep your data secure while also being easy to remember www.avg.com/activate.

For tips on what avg.com/activation to avoid when getting a  avg.com/retail new password, be sure to check out this video from AVG Security Expert Michael McKinnon.

All is not lost though, by Install Avg With License Number activation  following a few steps avg.com/retail you can help keep all your credentials in the right place:

  • Always keep you AntiVirus up to www.avg.com/activate date! If you don’t protect your device, your data could be vulnerable to attack.
  •  Never click a link you don’t  avg.com/activation trust. If in doubt, visit the official website and log in to your account there Install Avg With License Number activation .
  • Shred physicaInstall Avg With License Number activation l copies of
    www.avg.com/activate important documents when they’re no longer needed.
  • Don’t trust urgent phone avg.com/activation calls or www.avg.com/activation   emails from the avg.com/retail IRS demanding action and personal information. The IRS will never contact you by phone Install Avg With License Number activation  or email www.avg.com/activate!
  • If you do get  www.avg.com/activate contacted, make  avg.com/activation a note of their number, and report it to the IRS at its fraud report site www.avg.com/activation  .

 

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