Mid January just went by, and that means it’s the time of the year when most of us have received our W2 forms for the 2024 fiscal year. No one likes tax time, but it’s a reality we all must face. But even doing our civic duty and paying the tax man has become something fraught with potential pitfalls. The fourth week of January kicks off Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week.

According to nationaltoday.com, “Taxes are crucial to the economy and so is the taxpayer’s identity. Now, what is a tax identity? Tax identity is a unique set of certain parameters kept in place by federal and state agencies to keep track of the people living in the state or the country. In general, a nine-digit social security number (SSN) or a separate and expressly issued tax identification number (TIN) can be used to track an individual’s income and spending.

“Another important function of the tax identity is to distinguish the legal residents from the illegal residents who come to the country through illegal migration and then use the identity of the local people to commit crimes and fraud. Your SSN or TIN is a unique number that is your key to getting jobs, tax return certificates, medical care when you are sick, and even allows you to open a bank account to receive your salaries.

“In time, people learned to bypass certain security protocols by hacking into systems to access the information of a taxpayer and stealing their wealth or SSN for personal gains. The most prevalent motive for tax identity theft is to obtain a fake tax refund by filing a bogus tax return. Scams and scandals have caused hundreds of thousands of people to lose their money and access to government services as a result of this fraud.

“To counter such activities, strict controls and mechanisms have been introduced and often awareness sessions are organized by government and private organizations to educate the people on the need to keep their tax identities secret so that they are not robbed. Tax Identity Theft Week is one such initiative to guide people on how to protect their identities and to report any person who is suspected of using a fake ID anywhere.”

According to consumer.ftc.gov, a number of webinars to help consumers gain more information on tax identity theft are planned, including:

On Monday, January 27, the Federal Trade Commission and Better Business Bureau Institute discuss how scammers target military consumers, how to protect your personal and financial information and military benefits, and how to share what you know with others. To join, visit ftc.gov/news-events/events/2025/01/helping-military-consumers-protect-against-scams-identity-theft-0.

On Wednesday, January 29, the FTC and Veterans Affairs celebrate Identity Theft Awareness Week and Data Privacy Week in a discussion to help veterans spot and avoid scams and fraud impacting veterans. A link will be posted on the FTC site at a later date.

On Thursday, January 30, three webinars are planned. In the first, the FTC and Social Security Administration discuss understanding and avoiding identity theft at 12 pm Eastern. To join, visit ftc.gov/news-events/events/2025/01/identity-theft-protecting-yourself-reporting-recovering

The FTC and Social Security Administration discuss understanding and avoiding identity theft at 2 pm Eastern. This event will be in Spanish. To join, visit ftc.gov/news-events/events/2025/01/identity-theft-protecting-yourself-reporting-recovering.

Webinar: The FTC and UnidosUS discuss understanding and avoiding identity theft at 4 pm Eastern. The link to join will be posted by the FTC at a later date.

The FTC now has information in multiple languages on what identity theft is, how to spot it, what you can do to protect your identity, and where to report it if it happens to you. So get help in your language by visiting consumer.ftc.gov/features/languages.

See the messages and graphics in Spanish at ftc.gov/semanarobodeidentidad.

Seven ways to protect yourself from tax identity theft:

Do not supply your social security number (SSN) unless absolutely necessary.

File taxes early before the criminals do.

Shred any documents before discarding in the trash

File your taxes through a secure internet connection or mail from your post office.

The IRS will not email, text, call or contact you via social media. They will contact you by US mail.

Check your credit report at least once per year. You can check it for free at annualcreditreport.com. Verify no other accounts have been opened under your name.

If your SSN becomes compromised, you should contact the IRS ID Theft Protection Specialized Unit. Their number is 800-908-4490. You can also visit IdentityTheft.gov.