{"id":22285,"date":"2021-01-25T21:33:41","date_gmt":"2021-01-26T02:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/?p=22285"},"modified":"2024-07-08T06:04:38","modified_gmt":"2024-07-08T10:04:38","slug":"tax-fraud-prevention-tips-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/2021\/01\/25\/tax-fraud-prevention-tips-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Tax fraud prevention tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/W-2FileLocked.png\" alt=\"filedrawer and padlock over U-M W-2 statement\" class=\"wp-image-22290\" srcset=\"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/W-2FileLocked.png 600w, https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/W-2FileLocked-286x200.png 286w, https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/W-2FileLocked-200x140.png 200w, https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/W-2FileLocked-60x42.png 60w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beware! It&#8217;s that time of the year again! As you read this, criminals, fraudsters, and identity thieves could be working to file fraudulent tax returns in your name and steal your tax refund. ITS Information Assurance (IA) offers the following tips to help you protect yourself from identity theft and tax fraud:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>File your taxes as soon as possible<\/strong> to reduce the likelihood of criminals filing under your name.<\/li><li><strong>Beware of phishing emails and phone scams<\/strong>. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages, or social media channels, nor do they call to demand immediate payment. And they never demand payment via gift card.<\/li><li><strong>Be suspicious of ads<\/strong> for tax filing services that promise you large or expedited tax refunds. These are often scams to steal your personal information.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Extra protection from the IRS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The IRS has expanded the Identity Protection PIN Opt-In Program to all taxpayers who can properly verify their identities. An Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) is a six-digit number that prevents someone else from filing a tax return using your Social Security number. The IP PIN is known only to you and the IRS and helps verify your identity when you file your electronic or paper tax return. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/identity-theft-fraud-scams\/get-an-identity-protection-pin\">Visit the IRS website to get an IP PIN<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-info-box ticss-4d248401 uagb-infobox__outer-wrap uagb-block-5e7b2adb\"><div class=\"uagb-infobox__content-wrap uagb-infobox uagb-infobox-has-icon uagb-infobox-icon-above-title uagb-infobox-image-valign-top uagb-infobox-enable-border-radius \"><div class=\"uagb-ifb-left-right-wrap\"><div class=\"uagb-ifb-content\"><div class=\"uagb-ifb-image-icon-content uagb-ifb-imgicon-wrap\"><div class=\"uagb-ifb-icon-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ifb-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M256 8C119.043 8 8 119.083 8 256c0 136.997 111.043 248 248 248s248-111.003 248-248C504 119.083 392.957 8 256 8zm0 110c23.196 0 42 18.804 42 42s-18.804 42-42 42-42-18.804-42-42 18.804-42 42-42zm56 254c0 6.627-5.373 12-12 12h-88c-6.627 0-12-5.373-12-12v-24c0-6.627 5.373-12 12-12h12v-64h-12c-6.627 0-12-5.373-12-12v-24c0-6.627 5.373-12 12-12h64c6.627 0 12 5.373 12 12v100h12c6.627 0 12 5.373 12 12v24z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/div><\/div><div class=\"uagb-ifb-title-wrap\"><\/div><div class=\"uagb-ifb-separator-parent\"><div class=\"uagb-ifb-separator\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"uagb-ifb-text-wrap\"><p class=\"uagb-ifb-desc\"><strong>Check out <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.safecomputing.umich.edu\/be-aware\/scams\/tax-fraud\"><strong>Beware of Tax Fraud<\/strong><\/a>\u2014where there are more details and links to helpful information from the IRS\u2014and share the info with your colleagues, family, and friends.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Beware! It&#8217;s that time of the year again! As you read this, criminals, fraudsters, and identity thieves could be working to file fraudulent tax returns in your name and steal your tax refund. ITS Information Assurance (IA) offers the following tips to help you protect yourself from identity theft and tax fraud: File your taxes as soon as\u2026 <span class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/2021\/01\/25\/tax-fraud-prevention-tips-4\/\">Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":22290,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_umich_oidc_access":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[192,23,911],"class_list":["post-22285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safe-computing","tag-fraud","tag-security","tag-taxes"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/W-2FileLocked.png",600,420,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/W-2FileLocked-200x140.png",200,140,true],"medium":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/W-2FileLocked-286x200.png",286,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/W-2FileLocked.png",600,420,false],"large":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/W-2FileLocked.png",600,420,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/W-2FileLocked.png",600,420,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/W-2FileLocked.png",600,420,false],"excerpt-thumbnail":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/W-2FileLocked-200x140.png",200,140,true],"themonic-thumbnail":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/W-2FileLocked-60x42.png",60,42,true],"ioslider-thumbnail":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/W-2FileLocked-600x300.png",600,300,true],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/W-2FileLocked.png",600,420,false],"400x250-crop":["https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/W-2FileLocked-400x250.png",400,250,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Matt Martin, ITS Privacy Office","author_link":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/author\/mattmart\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Beware! It&#8217;s that time of the year again! As you read this, criminals, fraudsters, and identity thieves could be working to file fraudulent tax returns in your name and steal your tax refund. ITS Information Assurance (IA) offers the following tips to help you protect yourself from identity theft and tax fraud: File your taxes&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/68"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22285"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28319,"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22285\/revisions\/28319"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigan.it.umich.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}