What You Need to Know About Online Security and Your Taxes
You can’t be too careful about protecting your personal information. With so many different IRS scams floating around, you want to ensure that when you enter any tax information online, it’s going to the correct place. Here are some tips for keeping your personal financial information secure online.
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Encrypted websites will begin with https. When you’re shopping or banking online, your checkout should take place on a secure website. The “s” at the end of the http means secure. Make sure this “s” appears in the web address when you’re entering personal information on the Internet. Make sure it’s not just on the initial checkout page, too. The web address should say https every time you switch pages in order to be fully encrypted and secure.
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Create strong passwords. Weak passwords contain your name, date of birth, common words or the biggest offender, the word “password.” Create secure passwords by using 8 or more characters with a mixture of lowercase and capital letters, numbers and special characters. Use a different password for each account. If you have trouble remembering passwords, use a product like LastPass that keeps the information in a secure, encrypted format so you only have to remember one login.
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Don’t respond to calls soliciting personal information. Attempts to get your personal information by pretending to be a legitimate company are called phishing scams. If you receive a call from the IRS or another company trying to get your passwords or other personal information, this may be a scam. Ask to call the person back and look up the number yourself — don’t accept the telephone number they give you as the real phone number. Most companies and the IRS will not call and solicit information over the telephone, through text or via email. The IRS never initiates contact by e-mail or phone – they are a snail mail organization until you are working with an identified individual. If you think you have been the victim of an IRS phishing scam, contact the IRS to report it.
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Use good security software and update it regularly. One of the best ways to protect yourself from online fraud is to install a high quality security software from a well-known company or your Internet provider. Allow the software to update itself periodically and scan your computer routinely to keep you safe from viruses, malware and other online threats. Make sure your system has a firewall.
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Secure your home network. If your home or business wireless network doesn’t have a password or doesn’t have a secure password, people in the vicinity of that signal can actually hack your network and get your personal information off your computer. Avoid this problem by encrypting your wireless signal and creating a strong password. If you don’t know how to do this, your Internet provider can usually walk you through the process.
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Be careful using public networks. If you’re out at a coffee shop and log in to their wireless network, do not send any personal information through that wireless signal. Even though these hotspots can be convenient, they’re not very secure. Other users on the wireless signal could gain access to your personal information.
Scammers and hackers have devised very sophisticated schemes designed to take advantage of trusting people. If anything seems off with an online transaction, stop what you’re doing and call the customer service line.
We at Myerson & Myerson, CPA’s want you to keep your private information secure to help prevent identity theft, scams and other crimes. We have our systems checked and updated consistently to ensure your information remains YOUR information. Let us help you this tax season. Contact us today.
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