Tax season is a prime time for scam artists and cybercriminals to wage targeted attacks against taxpayers to steal personal data and conduct identity theft crimes.
According to the FTC, tax-related identity theft is most common during tax filing season, which this year began on Jan. 23 in the US. With tax-related identity theft reports up 45% from pre-pandemic levels, Americans need to remain vigilant to avoid becoming another identity theft statistic while they prepare their 2023 tax returns.
Tax scams usually proliferate via unsolicited emails, phone calls, and even text messages designed to direct recipients to fake websites that steal personally identifiable information (PII).
To protect yourself from tax scams this year, we recommend following these strict cybersecurity practices:
Additional tips include:
Bitdefender Identity Theft Protection can help you fight identity crimes with combined fraud detection, real-time alerts and identity recovery services. Our identity protection plans (US only) offer continuous monitoring for your SSN, financial accounts and medical data against identity theft and fraud, alerting you to any suspicious activity.
If you do fall victim to cybercrooks, we provide access to your dedicated resolution specialist and reimbursement of stolen funds courtesy of identity theft insurance of up to $2 million, depending on the plan you choose.
Learn more about how our one-stop credit monitoring and identity theft protection service can help you, here.
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Alina is a history buff passionate about cybersecurity and anything sci-fi, advocating Bitdefender technologies and solutions. She spends most of her time between her two feline friends and traveling.
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