Your financial well-being is our highest priority, and one of our goals for 2018 is to walk you through the necessary steps to protect your online data. To make it more manageable, we are sending you one new action item every month. If you missed Step One and Step Two, we have listed them below with a link to the detail so that you can easily catch up.
Step Three: File your tax returns as early as possible
Why? A criminal can use your stolen social security number to file a tax return and claim a fraudulent refund. In 2018, the IRS, and State tax agencies are taking steps to combat tax-related identity theft, and the number of incidents declined in 2017. However, cybercriminals continue to find new strategies to leverage the data they have stolen. A very effective strategy to deter their efforts is to file your tax return as soon as possible. Even though you file early, you won’t have to pay the tax bill until April 16, 2018.
Visit this link for more information about tax-related identity theft, and what to do if you suspect you are a victim.
List of Previous Steps:
Step One: Place a freeze on your credit history at the top three credit agencies.
Step Two: Update the operating software on your computers, tablets and smartphones, and continue to update as new patches become available.
