Even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Americans received a lot of packages. About 18 billion parcels were shipped in the United States in 2018, according to Pitney Bowes, and the parcel delivery industry has been growing at an average 4.7 percent each year. But given...
It is bad enough that the living have to worry about identity theft. But criminals also exploit the deceased with ‘ghosting’ schemes. These thieves steal the identities of those who have died to open credit card and service accounts and obtain loans and tax refunds....
The IRS announced it is opening the 2019 individual income tax return filing season on January 27. Even if you typically do not file until much closer to the April 15 deadline (or you file for an extension), consider filing as soon as you can...
Like many sectors of the economy, the healthcare industry regularly suffers data breaches. Healthcare analytics company Protenus has found that nearly 32 million patient records were breached between January and June 2019 alone. Alarmed? You should be. However, there are steps you can take to reduce...
The IRS recently issued final regulations that permit employers to voluntarily truncate employee SSNs on copies of IRS Forms W-2 furnished to employees. The purpose of the regulations is to aid employers’ efforts in protecting workers from identity theft. Proposals & comments On September 20, 2017, the...
To help fight crime, including terrorism, money laundering, and identity theft, federal laws and regulations require banks and other organizations to ‘know’ their customers. Know-your-customer (KYC) programs entail verifying customer identities and assessing risks associated with them. However, even if your company is not required...
Identity theft is not just a consumer problem. Criminals steal the identities of businesses, too. In addition to filing fraudulent tax returns, criminals assume the identities of companies to apply for credit, impersonate authorized users, and empty bank accounts. Here are five ways you can...
Identity thieves do not rely on just real identities to commit fraud. With ‘synthetic’ identity theft, they use only a portion of your personal data to help them create fictitious identities, but that does not necessarily lessen the negative impact on your credit. Forensic experts...
A growing number of businesses have been victimized by W-2 phishing scams. These frauds are a variation on traditional phishing scams, where criminals trick email users into providing confidential information, and then use that information to steal money or the victim’s identity. How it works In a...
Recovering from tax-related identity theft can be a frustrating and time-consuming process. However, the IRS can help remove fraudulent, inaccurate information from your federal tax records and make sure that your legitimate return is processed correctly. The key is to address the issue as soon...