This is an important time of year to avoid identity theft! And even though it is always important all year long to prevent identity theft, a lot of money is moving through the system right now. There are so many different ways that creative criminals can snag your information during the next several weeks. Are you protected?
I go to the tax preparer with the information for both my spouse and I. I often wonder are even our W-2 forms safe coming in the mail to us? I am usually on the phone collecting other data as well to finish up the tax filing. Quite honestly with China hacking computers all over America, how hard is it for our home grown criminals to hack us?
My tax preparer does everything from a computer in his NY office. Actually, he has 3 computers in his office and the data keeps getting accessed on each computer a few times before we are done. And then the information goes to his main computer banks in Long Island. After that the electronic filing is done with the Federal government and to my own state government Before my work with Lifelock, and this current topic, I never even thought about someone gaining access to all my information, tax amounts, filing information, social security numbers. AND, our bank accounts! The government wires our tax refunds directly into our bank accounts. Is someone watching this to later steal my money from these same accounts?
And hear are some thought provoking items for each of you as you prepare your tax returns:
- · Who can you trust online? Every tax preparer wants to make sure you get your biggest refund, but some sites may want your refund to go in *their* pockets.
- · Sending in your tax documents the old fashioned way? That’s a lot of personal information to pop into the mailbox.
- · You might leave all your personal documents out on the kitchen table while slogging through paperwork this time of year. That’s a big no-no!
1. I trust that my tax preparer is not going to steal my refund, my trust issue that came up this year is that my numbers from my preliminary meeting were far different than the finished product that was sent to the government. I trust my preparer will not steal my money or my identity, but how secure is his entire system which is many computers physically located in New York City and Long Island. It seems to me, as a lay person, that anytime information travels from one computer to another there is a danger. I suppose the data that just sits in a computer is just as much at risk. That does not help me to sleep at night!
2. The question above is asking how much do we trust the local mailbox? The same question can be asked re sending personal data over computer lines. Are we safe anywhere?
3. I used to have a cleaning lady and made sure everything was hidden from site when she came over. I generally don’t trust anyone, even though she may have been more honest than me! But do you put your papers away when someone might be coming into your home that you weren’t planning on or weren’t thinking of as a potential thief? Statistics show that sometimes relatives are the ones that steal our identities. Better safe than sorry! Do not leave personal papers or other valuable items in plain site for anyone to see!
The bottom line is, identity protection is important 12 month out of the year. It is extra important at tax time because there is such an increased opportunity for thievery, so much more data is being transferred, and then large amounts of money are traveling through the system. In all of these instances, whether it be the filing of taxes, or the receiving of refunds, which do you trust to be safer, the local mail service or the computer? Or maybe none, that is why I feel the need gets stronger every day for proper identity protection.
Just make sure your identity is protected people! That is why I have Lifelock!
There is still a great sweepstakes available, go and Like LifeLock on Facebook to be able to enter, and while there try to win Lifelock memberships or a gift card, while learning about ways to protect yourself from identity theft!
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Disclosure: I am a Lifelock Ambassador. All opinions are 100% my own and honest.
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