JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas. –
Tax season can be an opportunity to receive a refund, however, it can also be an opportunity for identity thieves to cash in and steal these funds.
"Tax season identity theft is when a person uses a social security number or other personally identifiable information to file a tax return in someone else’s name and steal their refund," said Airman Brandon L. Robertson, 502nd Installation Support Group civil law paralegal at JBSA-Lackland Legal Office.
PII is any information which can be used to identify an individual, either alone or combined with other information. PII is comprised of, but not limited to:
The tax center on base this year is taking steps to prevent identity theft and will require an original social security card, as well as requiring the tax refund to be direct deposited into an account with the filer's name on it, Robertson said.
Some steps individuals can take to keep their identity and refund safe include staying up to date on credit reports, signing up for notifications from the bank when suspicious activity occurs, and making sure whatever service being used to do taxes is official and secure, Robertson advised. Other things to watch out for include doing taxes on a government computer and forwarding personally identifiable information from the network, said Thomas P. Doran, 502nd Air Base Wing cyber security manager.
"Doing your taxes on a government computer is basically fraud, waste and abuse of government resources and time, especially when you do them at work," explained Doran.
Doran often uses popular computer software programs to do taxes.
"The software I use has a padlock symbol that tells me my information is secure," said Doran. "Always make sure wherever you’re entering information into is a reliable and secure place."
The Federal Trade Commission provides a list of a few warning signs on their website (http://www.identitytheft.gov) that may indicate that a person’s identity has been stolen on their website:
People who believe their PII was lost or exposed may contact the FTC at http://www.identitytheft.gov and, if their SSN specifically has been compromised, contact the IRS for assistance.
For more information, call the legal office at JBSA-Lackland at 210-671-3362, JBSA-Fort Sam at 210-808-0169 or JBSA-Randolph at 210-652-6781.