Annual National Tax Security Awareness Week
This is now the 8th annual National Tax Security Awareness Week. We join the IRS, state tax agencies and the tax industry in urging increased security measures to protect against tax-related identity theft and scams. Here are a few ways you or your clients can combat identity theft.
Encourage your clients to create an IRS Online Account
This tool provides your clients with a simple and secure way to go online and get their latest payment history, balance and more. They can even approve and electronically sign Power of Attorney and Tax Information Authorization requests, which can make your job easier.
An IRS Online Account usually takes only 5 to 10 minutes to set up. It uses a two-factor authentication process that protects personal information. Once your client creates an account, scammers can't create a fraudulent one for the same person.
Avoid fraud and tax-related identity theft with an IP PIN
The IRS and the Security Summit partners encourage taxpayers to join the Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN) program.
An IRS IP PIN is a special six-digit number that helps prevent criminals from filling fraudulent federal income tax returns or stealing refunds using a taxpayer's personal information. IP PINs are unique because they are known only to the taxpayer and the IRS.
Taxpayers can get an IP PIN if you they a Social Security number (SSN) or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) and can successfully verify their identity.
The easiest and fastest way to get an IP PIN is with Get my IP PIN, which is available from mid-January through mid-November.
IRS Tax Pro Account: Another line of defense against data theft
Another way to help protect sensitive information from identity thieves is with secure online tools such as Tax Pro Account.
Tax Pro Account is a secure, mobile-friendly, digital self-service that enables you to act on a taxpayer's behalf, view their information and manage their authorizations more efficiently.
You can use Tax Pro Account to send power of attorney and tax information authorization requests directly to a taxpayer's individual IRS Online Account. Once the taxpayer approves the request, it's processed in real time.
For details about e-Services, Tax Pro Account, EINs, filing, forms, third party authorizations and other safe and secure online tools to serve your clients, see the Tax Professionals page on IRS.gov.