Engineer Your Finances

A Systematic Approach To Money

  • About Us
    • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Toolkit
  • Security
    • Credit & Debt
    • Banking & Saving
    • Psychology
    • Other
    • Optimization
    • Education
  • Self Discipline
  • Improve Returns

Keep Your Tax Refund Away From Criminals With These Helpful Tips

Share

Its tax time. Time to file your income taxes with the Internal Revenue Service and hopefully, get a refund back from the taxes you paid throughout the year. For some families, the tax refund is the biggest windfall payment that they will receive all year. Sadly, criminals know this and will go to great lengths to steal these tax refunds before their recipients can claim them. According to the Government Accountability Office, the IRS mistakenly paid out more than $5 billion worth of refunds to identity thieves in 2013. Luckily, there are actions you can take to reduce your risk of becoming a victim. Here are some good tips that will help you keep your tax refund away from criminals.

File Quickly

One of the reasons that criminals can make off with a person’s tax refund so easily is that they file quickly, often before the person can file themselves and before the IRS has all of the documentation they need to identify fraudulent tax returns. By filing for your tax return quickly, you can beat these criminals to the punch and get your social security number into the IRS files as already filed. Any tax filing using your social security number after that will immediately be flagged as suspicious.

Take Advantage Of Electronic Options

When it comes to protecting your tax information from identity thieves, taking advantage of electronic options can be very beneficial. Elect to have all tax documents, including your W-2 and 1099s, delivered to you electronically. Instead of mailing your tax returns, file them electronically with the IRS so they will be processed faster. You can have the IRS direct deposit your refund into your bank account, eliminating the chance that your tax refund check will be stolen out of your mailbox.

Never Provide Tax Information Over The Phone

It is very unlikely that the IRS will ever contact you by email or by phone to ask you to verify tax information, so if you receive communications using these methods it is probably a scam. If you do receive an email that appears to be from the IRS or the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, don’t click any links within the email and forward the message to phishing@irs.gov. If you get a call, hang up then call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040. If they really need information from you to process your tax refund, the operator will direct you to the right person.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

FOLLOW US

Join Our Newsletter
  Thank you for Signing Up
Please correct the marked field(s) below.

1,true,6,Contact Email,21,false,1,First Name,21,false,1,Last Name,2





Our Favorite Posts

  • How Much Interest Does 1 Million Dollars Earn Per Year? by Trey LaRocca
  • 3-Month Performance Review by Fin Engr
  • Rooting Out The Devil: Kathy Kristof Interview by Fin Engr
  • Money Hackers Carnival #117: Wedding & Marriage Edition by Fin Engr
  • Interview: What’s it all about? More than Money! (Part I) by Fin Engr
  • How to Compare Rates for Mortgage Refinancing by Fin Engr
  • Want To Erase Bad Credit Instantly? 6 Hacks That Work Fast by Trey LaRocca
  • FinEngr Joins The Million Dollar Club by Fin Engr

Blogroll

  • Blonde and Balanced
  • Budget and the Bees
  • Cash Cow Couple
  • Cash the Checks
  • Clever Dude
  • Dinks Finance
  • Enemy of Debt
  • Get Rich Slowly

Categories

Our Friends



Great Investing, Simplified: Get Stock Advisor for Just $99/year!

Need to find a loan? Got a Car? Compare title loan offers near me and get the best rate.

private real estate investors

Order custom essay from professional essay writers.

Visit 123 Term Papers and you’ll receive help from the qualified writers.

Thesis writing help for all the students!

Copyright © 2021 · Runway Pro on Genesis Framework