Experts: Hundreds Of Thousands Fall Victim To Income Tax Scams Every Year

click to expand

FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Tax season is in full swing and filers are busy, but so are scammers.

"Your tax returns contain some of the holy grail of most important information and data thieves want it," said Jackson Hewitt Chief Tax Information Officer Mark Steber.

According to Steber, hundreds of thousands of people fall victim to tax scams each year and loose millions, maybe even billions, of dollars.

"When you've got your name, social security number, family members information, bank account, signatures in many cases... that information is magic for doing other bad things," Steber said. "Guard your tax return information each and every year, and only share it and only give it somebody that you trust."

Tax experts and the Better Business Bureau suggest filers do the following to avoid scams:

Use reputable tax preparers
Be aware of buzzwords like 'guaranteed refund' and 'free tax preparation'
Get a pin number from the IRS

Filers are also urged to have their tax refunds distributed by direct deposit as opposed to having checks mailed, because they can get stolen.

"You wouldn't leave your house unlocked, you wouldn't leave your purse or wallet on the counter, so don't leave your tax return laying around," Steber said.

According to a recent IRS bulletin, scams making the rounds this tax season include e-mail schemes, text-message scams and unemployment fraud.