How to Fight Tax-Related Identity Theft in the New Year

Identitiy fraud.

Not a day goes by, it seems, without someone reporting identity fraud to their local authorities. The number of incidents is on the rise in all communities across the country, and here in Massachusetts.

Tax ID theft topped FTC complaints in 2014; and IRS imposter complaints were up more than 2,300 percent.

The Massachusetts Department of Revenue, the Internal Revenue Service, state tax administrators and the private-sector tax industry, recently announced the launch of the “Taxes. Security. Together.” campaign, which aims to continue to encourage more people to protect their personal and financial data online and at home.

“Not only have we continuously redoubled our anti-fraud efforts, we have in the past welcomed every opportunity to join forces with others to fight the ever-growing issues of identity fraud,” stated Mass DOR.

To learn more about how you can protect your personal identity, have a look at what the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office advises:

• Understanding ID Theft

• First Steps for Victims

• Security Freezes and Fraud Alerts

• Manage Your Personal Information

• Safeguard Your Computer from ID Theft

• Reporting ID Theft

• Attorney General’s Guide to ID Theft for Victims and Consumers

Information: Massachusetts DOR