BBB warns United States' tax season is here, and so are the scammers

Be vigilant to avoid Tax ID theft
 
The United States’ tax season is here, and so are the scammers.
Con artists are using the Social Security numbers of unsuspecting Americans to file phony tax returns and steal their refunds.
In honor of the Federal Trade Commission’s Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week, be on the lookout for this and other tax season scams.
 
How the scam works
You file your taxes as normal and expect a refund from the IRS. Instead, you get a written IRS notice saying that more than one tax return was filed using your Social Security number.
What happened? Scammers got ahold of your personal information, such as your Social Security number, address, and birth date. They filed your return early and received y our refund before you even got around to filing. Tax ID theft is a particularly sneaky con because victims typically don’t realize they’ve been targeted until they try to file their taxes for real.
Scammers steal your tax information in several ways. You may have fallen for a phishing scam at an earlier time, used a corrupt tax preparation service, or had your information exposed in a hack or data breach. Sometimes tax scammers file in the name of a deceased person or steal children’s identities to claim them as dependents.