Creditnet News Story
Consumers should take measures to avoid ID theft during tax time
Monday, March 8, 2010
By Danielle Robson
Keeping track of documents one strategy.
As consumers compile the various pieces of personal and financial data they need to prepare their taxes, they may also consider being aware of certain identity theft problems that can hurt their credit score.
According to identity theft intelligence provider ID Analytics, the time when consumers file taxes also presents identity theft scammers with the chance to steal their information. As a result, consumers should keep close track of all their sensitive documents, including earnings statements and tax forms.
Furthermore, people should be careful of any communications they get via email that claim to be from the Internal Revenue Service, as the government agency does not use that form of communication to begin a dialogue with taxpayers.
Taking such steps can help consumers avoid identity fraud, a crime that grew last year according to a recent report from Javelin Strategy & Research. The number of identity fraud victims in the country totaled 11.1 million adults, which was a 12 percent increase when compared to 2008.
