5 Tips to Make Your Tax Info Safe and Secure

its amazing how many people, and some considered intelligent, fall for all these SCAMS

Email is NOT secure.

Most recent phishing email I received was one that was supposedly from PayPal asking me to verify credit card info by filling in a form that wanted my credit card info and password. I guess the dirtbag scammers thought that I might be one of those people walking around with "STUPID" tattooed on my forehead. I promptly forwarded it to PayPal and also called them to report it. Then I emailed everyone I know to warn them.

As many have said EMAIL is the worst way to send sensitive data unless both sides are encrypted... Geez you would think the author would know such a simple thing!

Interesting that they ignored the most obvious tip of all : DON'T USE CLOUD SOFTWARE to do your taxes. The "cloud" is the most unsecured place on the internet, but the big companies (Microsoft, Intel, etc.) want you to ignore that because it's their next big profit center if the public is gullible enough to think it can be made hack-proof.

Forward scam email, with headers intact, to spam@uce.gov.

how about posting some info on how to make our social security number and other vital information safe from the people who work for the federal government and other agencies...

those are the people who represent the greatest security risks..!

be blessed.

The biggest scam of them all is the IRS itself

Gee technology. . .isn't it just so awful keen wonderful that we are backed into a corner to make our life earnings more easily vunerable to jaggoffs in the name of "efficiency, ease, and progressiveness"?

Do NOT OPEN any email that claims to be from the IRS even though the email address is IRS.GOV. It is a virus and will completely wipe out your computer. I found this out the hard way last summer... it happens to the best of us.

Security Tip #6.... If you find a dime in the street, don't tell the IRS about it.

Not only will the IRS never email you, they will not call you and solicit information from you unless you have recently called and the call was disconnected or you are currently working with someone on an issue.

Beware of tax preparation places that pop up overnight, there have been horror stories of these places that show up for tax season, put THEIR bank information on your return, and then YOU sign the return without checking it. By the time you start wondering where your refund went, they are long gone and your signature authorized the money to go to them. If you choose to use a preparer, go to a well-known company or an established CPA, and ALWAYS check over your return.

Additionally, if you owe the IRS money and you call one of those attorneys who promise you they can get you a settlement for pennies on the dollar, they are preying on the ignorant. Anyone can call the IRS and ask for an Offer In Compromise without paying someone big bucks to do it for them.

They are absoutely right. Working for the IRS, as far as refunds goes, we will ALWAYS send you anything you need by mail. We do NOT send anything money related by e-mail or fax, or even a phone call. As well, please mail anything you have to give to us by certified mail or some type of mail with tracking confirmation because we ALWAYS have to sign for those types of mail and that way there is no dispute if we received it or not.

My tax records are extremely safe and secure becasue I don't file.

The author face-planted on the recommendation to e-mail tax information. E-mail is as insecure as a fax machine is, maybe more so since it is subject to intercept by a man-in-the-middle attack without the knowledge of the sender or recipient. Few e-mail systems are properly secured to prevent interception in transit.

If you must send data to a tax preparer, photocopy it and send it Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested. If it includes highly sensitive data, consider sending it via Registered Mail.

Maybe the best solution is bringing your documents to your tax preparers.
If you file yourself, make sure you are not connected to the internet
I forget you either have to download the documents or someone will mail to you.
In this case, there is still a chance that someone could hack your system or search your mailbox.
I know the article talks about anti virus software. I trust my McAfee. I still get hit by malware. Just say it

IRS don't even mail forms anymore.

As if most of taxes we pay go towards the maintenance of our infrastructure.(police force does not count) It's the Biggest scam of all time. Tax money goes to the lavish spending of elitist's and weapon spending to be sold for military surplus.

TAXES!?!? Since corporations are people too, I guess we-- the people, don't have to pay taxes either. Phew!

I couldn´t resist this one, especially after reading comments many of which were as the old saying goes, ¨running a quart low¨. I have been doing the same since 1955. I do my own taxes and I use the world loosely, TRY and keep up on the stupidity of regulations Federal taxation has become! I then mail my 1040 long form and attachments by U.S Mail to that final destination of the greatest of deficit spenders, WASHINGTON D.C. I have one wish as tax season is here again. May I live long enough to see a FLAT TAX, which dcould start a trend of getting some much needed efficiency in the countries taxing system.