Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week

TAX IDENTITY THEFT Awareness Week

January 29-February 2, 2018

Tax identity theft happens when someone uses your Social Security number to get a tax refund or a job. You might find out it has happened when you get a letter from the IRS saying more than one tax return was filed in your name, or IRS records show you have wages from an employer you don’t know.

Learn how to reduce the chance you’ll be a victim and find out what to do if you are during Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week, January 29-February 2, 2018. The FTC and its partners are hosting a series of free webinars and Twitter chats. Follow the links below for information about how to participate.

Here’s what’s on tap:

Monday, Jan. 29

• 2 p.m. EST ― The FTC and the Identity Theft Resource Center co-host a webinar for consumers. Learn about tax-related identity theft and IRS imposter scams, their financial and emotional impact, how to protect yourself, and how to recover if you become a victim.

Tuesday, Jan. 30

• 2:30 p.m. EST ― The FTC, AARP Fraud Watch Network, AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program, and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration host a webinar on tax identity theft and IRS imposter scams. Learn how tax identity theft and IRS imposter scams occur, how to avoid them, recovery steps for victims, and about free resources for you and your community.

Wednesday, Jan. 31

• 11 a.m. EST ― The FTC and the Department of Veterans Affairs co-host a Twitter chat for service members, veterans, and their families. Learn how to minimize your risk of tax identity theft, and what to do if it happens to you. Join the conversation at #VeteranIDTheft.

• 1 p.m. EST ― The FTC, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration discuss tax identity theft, IRS imposter scams, and how to lower your risk of becoming a victim. This is a closed webinar for Veterans Administration employees, contractors, and patients.

Thursday, Feb. 1

• 1 p.m. EST ― The FTC and IRS offer a webinar for small businesses: Protecting Sensitive Business and Customer Data ― Practical Identity Safety Practices for Your Business. Learn about tax-related identity theft, imposter scams that target businesses, practical cybersecurity practices for small business, data breach response, and free resources for your business, employees and customers.

• 3 p.m. EST ― The FTC and the Identity Theft Resource Center co-host a Twitter chat about protecting yourself against tax-related identity theft. Get to know the warning signs, how to reduce the chance of becoming a victim, and how to recover if it happens to you. Join the conversation at #IDTheftChat.

Are you ready to get involved in helping friends, family, and your community avoid tax identity theft and IRS imposers? Use our resources, below, to blog about tax identity theft, publish daily tips in your company or neighborhood newsletter, or tweet about it to organizations you’re involved with. And, for information about identity theft in general, please visit ftc.gov/idtheft.