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Community Corner

BBB Partners with FTC and IRS during Tax ID Theft Awareness Week

Thousands of Americans are eligible to receive refunds from Uncle Sam in 2014, and it’s not just Certified Public Accountants that will be busy; tax season is primetime for identity thieves. With all of the personal information contained in tax documents, cons will try every trick in the book to obtain these documents in order to get Social Security numbers and intercept refunds.

To help consumers understand the risks of tax-related identity theft, BBB is teaming up with the Federal Trade Commission <http://www.ftc.gov/>  and the Internal Revenue Service <http://www.irs.gov/>  for Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week
<http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0029-tax-identity-theft-awareness-week>

According to the IRS <http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Criminal-Investigation-Combats-Identity-Theft-Refund-Fraud
nearly 1,500 tax identity theft related criminal investigations were
launched in 2013—an increase of 66 percent from 2012. To protect consumers, the IRS, FTC and BBB have expanded efforts to educate taxpayers and help victims.

Avoid becoming a victim of tax identity theft:
* File tax returns early.
* Don’t leave W-2s in unsecure locations like offices or cars; shred copies of leftover tax information, drafts, or calculation sheets that are no longer needed.
* Use secure Internet connections when filing electronically, or mail tax returns directly from the post office.
* Respond to all mail from the IRS as soon as possible.
* Never disclose Social Security numbers—SSNs—or other sensitive personal information over the phone to unsolicited callers.
* Thoroughly research tax preparers at bbb.org to find ones that are local and accredited.

If personal information is compromised, take immediate proactive steps to recover:
* Contact the IRS ID Theft Protection Specialized Unit at 1-800-908-4490.
* Place freezes on credit reports continue to monitor credit by obtaining free reports from each of the three credit bureaus at annualcreditreport.com

Find out what's happening in Duluthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Remember, the Internal Revenue Service will never initiate contact by email, text or social media; if information is needed, the organization will make contact and clearly verify the identities of contractors.

For more information on identity theft and additional tips on how to combat scams, FTC’s Identity Theft Guide
<http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0014-identity-theft> .

Find out what's happening in Duluthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

And remember Georgia citizens are allowed two free copies of their credit reports each year from all three major credit reporting bureaus.
 
For companies you can trust, please visit bbb.org.


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