America, it’s tax time! Did you know the IRS considers Georgia to be one of the top three states for tax return fraud? The IRS reports over 3 million tax payer accounts are hacked each year. They have doubled their manpower to protect tax payers from tax payer frauds. Once the thief gets your IRS information, they can use it to steal your identity for loans, and opening new credit card accounts.

What can you do to protect your tax returns from being hacked?

Be selective about who does your taxes. Make sure it is someone that has good reference from friends or family.

Watch for scams. At tax time people call or search your social media sites for information they can use to steal your identity. These people pretend to be IRS agents or representatives of tax software companies to get your information. The IRS never call on the phone for information!

Change your passwords often. When you use common passwords for places like financial institutions, credit cards or even your IRS account, it allows broad access to these accounts once your password is cracked. Passwords should be long and include a mix of numbers, letters, and symbols.

Check your credit report frequently. This is one of the simplest precautions you can use to prevent tax payer fraud. You can access three free credit reports a year on www.AnnualCreditReport.com.

It is recommended to file your returns early so you can beat the scammers to the punch.

Never put your tax returns in your mailbox. Put them in a postal box or hand them directly to a postal worker. E-filing is the most secure option for filing your taxes.

Conclusion

Follow the above tips to keep your tax returns more secure. If your tax returns are hacked, be patient. The IRS says the typical case of identity theft takes 120 days to resolve. A credit fraud can be a lifelong problem for identity theft victims.