Florida’s No. 1 for Tax Identity Theft

Florida strives to be a national trendsetter for many things but not this: The Sunshine State No. 1 in tax identity theft and fraud nationwide. Most targets are older residents who are unaware that they have been swindled.

“We are working with the IRS to do everything we can to help retirees and all AARP members in Florida protect their identity from the dangers of theft,” said Victoria Funes, AARP Florida Associate State Director, during a co-sponsored press conference with the Internal Revenue Service in Miami. “We will continue to provide information and raise awareness on this pressing issue.”

The IRS defines tax identity theft occurs when someone fraudulently files a tax return using another person’s Social Security number, claiming someone else’s children as dependents or using a deceased taxpayer’s information for the purpose of receiving an improper tax refund.

Scammers can go about this a few different ways, so it’s important to actively protect yourself and your information from theft.

Here are a few tips to follow in order to avoid tax identity theft:

- Do mail tax returns as early in the tax season as possible before the cons beat you to it.
- Don't give out personal information unless you know who's asking for it and why they need it.
- Do shred personal and financial documents.
- Do know your tax preparer.
- Do check the status of your refund after filing at irs.gov/refunds

For help, contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 800-908-4490 and visit irs.gov/identitytheft.

REMINDER: Don’t forget about the IRS letter scam we told you about in September (blog link here) and beware of any postal communication. Always call the IRS at 800-829-1040 to confirm any correspondence.

The AARP FraudWatch Network also has helpline for more guidance on a variety of fraud alerts at 877-908-3360. You can sign up for FraudWatch Network WatchDog alerts here.