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Careful! Tax Time ID Theft Can Be Prevalent.

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Contributed by: Cary Johnson on 2/19/2008

FRAUD ALERT!
From the Office of Jefferson/Gilpin Counties
District Attorney Scott Storey

"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes," so uttered Benjamin Franklin in 1789. I'll add another certainty:
a crook somewhere is looking for a manner of seizing your tax forms so that personal information can be stolen and used.

During tax season, ID thieves are looking for people to make careless mistakes concerning their tax information. Habits that we follow regularly can give thieves an opportunity to steal tax forms or copy information that they can use for ID theft. Tax time can already be painful; don't make it worse by becoming a victim of ID theft. Here are some hints to keep your income tax response safer:

Do not leave tax preparation information laying out at home-put everything away when you are not working on your taxes;
Do not throw practice and duplicate forms away in your trash if they contain your Social Security number or other personal information-shred these forms;
When you have finished your tax preparation, make copies of every form and store your information in a safe and secure place;
Do not store tax preparation materials, like bank account numbers or Social Security numbers, on your computer;
If you must send a check to the IRS, do not write your Social Security number on the check; consider filing and paying On-line;
If you choose to mail your tax return, take it to the Post Office, stop your car and walk inside to deposit this information. Do not use a blue postal box to mail your tax return or leave this information sitting openly in your car for any length of time;
Consider sending your tax return to the IRS by 'Certified Mail, Return Receipt,' so you will know it arrived and someone signed for it;
Opt to have any tax refund electronically deposited into a bank account rather than having a refund check sit in your mailbox.

To schedule a "Power Against Fraud"
free crime prevention seminar, call:
303-271-6970

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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Cary Johnson

Thornton , CO

Cary Johnson has posted 75 stories and 0 comments since joining on 10/5/2006. Cary Johnson 's average story rating is 5.

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