As tax season kicks into gear in the New Year, the IRS has released a list of the Top Ten things you should know about identity theft and how to protect yourself.

  1. If you receive a letter or notice from the IRS which leads you to believe someone may have fraudulently used your Social Security Number, respond immediately to the name and address or phone number printed on the IRS notice.

  2. If you receive a letter from the IRS that indicates more than one tax return was filed for you, this may be a sign that your SSN was used fraudulently.

  3. Another sign that you may be the target of identity theft is an IRS letter indicating you received wages from an employer unknown to you.

Contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit by calling the Identity Theft Hotline at 800-908-4490 and contact your bank’s fraud department if you think you’ve been the victim of identity theft.

Do any readers have identity theft horror stories or have some ideas for how to protect yourself?

January 21, 2009