Tax Information Can Expose Filers to Identity Theft

About 15 million Americans were victimized by some identity-theft related fraud last year, according to the Gartner 2006 Identity Theft Survey results. That’s a 50 percent increase since the Federal Trade Commission’s Report in 2003. Victims of identity theft suffer from a wide range of consequences, including:

— Learning that fraudulent credit accounts opened in their names; — discovering that someone has been employed using their Social Security number; — being turned down for insurance and loans due to damaged credit; and — being arrested for crimes they did not commit.

“All a thief needs to steal your identity is your name and Social Security number,” says Scott Mitic, a national expert on identity theft and CEO, TrustedID. “To scammers, tax documents are goldmines, as they give them all the information they need to commit fraud.”

To help prevent identity theft, TrustedID encourages you to be careful when handling tax-related documents. The following tips can help reduce your risk of identity theft during the tax season:

— Always keep your tax paperwork in a safe and secure location. Shred any paperwork you no longer need before you dispose of it. — If you are filing your taxes online, be sure to use updated firewall, antivirus, and spyware software. — Monitor your mail closely during tax season. Make a list of everyone who pays you, including employers, banks and brokerages, and make sure you receive copies of what they send to the IRS. — Choose your tax professionals as carefully as you would a doctor or lawyer. Remember that a tax preparer has access to your Social Security Number, address, and other private information. — Be aware of IRS-related scams. If you receive an email asking for your personal or financial information, delete it or send it to the FTC at spam@uce.gov for investigation. The IRS will never email taxpayers about issues related to their accounts or ask for your Social Security number or financial details over the phone. If you have any doubt whether a contact from the IRS is authentic, call 1-800-829-1040 to confirm it. — Be proactive in reducing your exposure to identity theft by locking your credit report down with the credit bureaus. TrustedID makes it easy to lock your credit report down with the credit bureaus and prevent lenders from offering credit in your name without your approval. Visit http://www.trustedid.com/ to learn more about taking a proactive approach to fighting identity theft.

“The best way to prevent tax time scams is to minimize your risk,” says Mitic. “Locking your credit report gives you the highest level of protection against identity theft and ensures the strongest privacy possible for personal information. Even if a thief steals your name, Social Security number, and bank account number, he’ll be blocked from opening new accounts because your credit report will be frozen. The power to protect your data is right where it belongs-in your hands.”

About TrustedID

TrustedID, Inc., a leading provider of identity management and protection solutions, was founded with the mission of giving individuals control over their personal information and who has access to that information. The company’s services give consumers the means to proactively protect themselves against the country’s fastest growing crime-identity theft. TrustedID’s solutions, including credit report controls, identity restoration services, and identity theft insurance, are available to consumers through the nation’s leading financial institutions and consumer brands, as well as directly through TrustedID’s website, http://www.trustedid.com/.

TrustedID, Inc.
CONTACT: Lomit Patel, Director of Marketing of TrustedID, Inc.,
+1-650-631-2361, or lpatel@trustedid.com

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