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“Somebody’s Watching Me” aren’t just lyrics from Rockwell’s 1980’s album, they are pretty much a true statement when it comes to people trying to steal from you. Working at a financial institution I’m always frustrated at how hard people work to take other people’s money that had worked even harder to make it and the stories I have seen and heard is frustrating and heart breaking. So with tax season just about to kick off you need to be very cautious of how you handle and protect your personal data. Your SSN is your DNA to your credit history in the financial world and everything you do important in this life requires others to have access to it to help you get: Business Loans, Home Loans, Car Loans, Credit Cards, Insurance, Renting, Leasing , and utilities including cell phone, internet, cable or satellite, electricity, gas etc. The better your credit score is (which we can talk about in another post) you get access to better loan rates access to more credit or maybe less of a deposit required by the provider. So it is very important that you work hard to keep it protected from others who are looking for it because they want nothing more than to steal your identity and open up tons of debt, have a really good time, and move on to the next person leaving you on the hook to pay for it. What are some ways you can protect it? I have attached a link to the IRS website publication called “Security Awareness for Taxpayers” that provides information on what steps to take:
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4524.pdf
They summarize the protection in 3 areas:
1) Keep your computer secure
2) Avoid Phishing and Malware
3) Protect personal data
There are IRS impersonators attempting to collect on a small or large fictitious tax bill they say you owe. Please do not fall for this. They will try to intimidate, bully, harass, or embarrass you because it works and people pay, don’t fall for it!
Here’s an excerpt from the IRS publication regarding communication from the IRS:
Avoid IRS Impersonators. The IRS will not call you with threats of jail or lawsuits. The IRS will not send you an unsolicited email suggesting you have a refund or that you need to update your account. The IRS will not request any sensitive information online. These are all scams, and they are persistent. Don’t fall for them. Forward IRS-related scam emails to phishing@irs.gov. Report IRS-impersonation telephone calls at www.tigta.gov.
Never hesitate to seek professional advice from CPAs or Tax Attorneys who deal in this area, they may charge you a fee for their time, but well worth it to keep you from losing money in a scam.
Contact Fish @ mailto:jjttvenable@gmail.com
Jeff or “Fish”, to those that know him best, is a Magee native and graduate of Simpson Academy and Harding University with a degree in accounting. As a Commercial Banker at Regions he provides insight, knowledge, and tools to aid and assist commercial customers in successfully navigating through their business environment and recently celebrated his 10 year anniversary with the bank. Before his banking career he spent a little over four years as an auditor with Moore Stephens Frost, a public accounting firm, in Little Rock. While in college he met and married the love of his life Jenny Keith and they live in Magnolia, AR with their two boys Tucker and Tate. Jenny is an elementary teacher with the Magnolia School District and they are actively involved with the work at Jackson St. Church of Christ.
