Tax Season is Here Again!

Published On February 28, 2020 | By Tom Huskerson | News and Analysis, Tax Season

The internet has seasons that scammers celebrate. We just entered the tax season…again. And they know that every working American is getting ready to file their tax returns and get that nice refund. And the scammers are trying to beat you to it.

Nothing is more frightening than discovering that someone has your identity and are filing taxes in your name. If you have not taken steps to protect your identity before now you may be a big fat target of tax scammers.

How to Prepare for Tax Season

Now is the time to tighten up your game for the coming tax season.

First things first. Secure your documents. All your tax documents, bank statements, anything with your Social Security Number, etc. should be in a safe and secure location even inside your home. Not just now but year round. Don’t assume they are safe. Make sure they are by using a locking file cabinet or keeping them in a secure location.

Once you have your documents file your taxes immediately. DON’T WAIT! Trust me when I tell you that scammers are trying to get your refund before you do.

Who is doing your taxes? Use extreme caution when selecting who is preparing your taxes. Trust only reputable tax preparation services. Don’t trust just anyone with your financial life and documents. There are plenty of scam tax services around and even more online. Don’t trust anyone who is not a certified and licensed tax professional. And the sad part about it is that few states require a license to prepare someone’s taxes. Check their qualifications using the IRS Tax Preparer Directory. If you don’t find them there, fuggetaboutit!

Finally, sign up for a identity monitoring service if you have not already. If anything changes they should alert you immediately. If anything funny does appear alert the IRS and the cops immediately and document everything. If need be, freeze your credit.

We’ll be talking a lot more about tax season in the coming weeks so get ready and be prepared.

Now you know.

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About The Author

Tom Huskerson Bio Born in Richmond Virginia Tom Huskerson is a military veteran who settled in California after his discharge. Tom attended Santa Barbara City College where he began his writing career as a campus reporter. He worked as an intern news reporter for the Santa Barbara News-Press writing feature stories before moving on to San Francisco. At San Francisco State University Tom studied broadcast communications and began to focus on the Internet. He completed his graduate thesis on Internet advertising. Tom was the first student to ever focus on the Internet as a graduate student at San Francisco State University. After graduation he went to work for Zona Research in California’s Silicone Valley. As a research associate Tom supported senior analyst writing on the latest developments in the Internet industry. During the dot com boom Tom worked for several web businesses as a market researcher and analyst. As a writer and researcher Tom has authored various technical works including a training program for Charles Schwab security. Other projects included professional presentations on workplace violence and hiring security contractors. Tom has also written both fiction and non-fiction works and blogging for a travel website. He has published two books of short stories and completed two novels. Tom is the owner of Scribe of Life Literature and EbonyCandle.com. Tom is not the chief editor for the OnTechStreet. com. A news and information blog that focuses on tech news for African-Americans. The blog is the result of his desire to inform the African American community of the dangers and benefits of the cyber age. In his blog Tom reports on information security, new and analysis, scams and hoaxes, legal happenings and various topics that arise from the age of information. Tom believes that technology is a necessary tool for black people and they should know what is happening. Tom writes believing that techno speak is for the professional and that valuable information can be communicated using plain language. As a result he has embraced the motto, Less Tech, More Knowledge.

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