Tax filing season might be upon us, but never fret…the IRS has a wealth of resources to help tax practitioners have a more seamless and data-secure busy season. Read below for an update from a tax security meeting recently held in our state, and resources now available for tax practitioners.
Who:
The IRS, NC Department of Revenue, NC State Attorney General Department of Justice, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the US Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
What:
North Carolina version of the Security Summit (see meeting agenda here)
When/Where:
November 29, 2017 | Charlotte, NC
Why:
To boost National Tax Security Awareness Week in an effort to encourage both individual and business taxpayers to take additional steps to protect their tax data and identities in advance of the 2018 filing season
3 key steps the Summit partners urge people to take to protect tax and financial information:
- Learn to recognize and avoid phishing emails, threatening phone calls and texts from thieves posing as legitimate organizations such as banks, credit card companies and government organizations, including the IRS. Do not click on links or download attachments from unknown or suspicious emails.
- Always use security software with firewall and anti-virus protections. Make sure the security software is always turned on and will automatically update. Encrypt sensitive files such as tax records stored on computers.
- Protect personal data. Use strong, unique passwords for each online account. Don’t routinely carry Social Security cards, and make sure tax records are secure. Treat personal information like cash; don’t leave it lying around.
Be sure to reference the FTC’s guide for businesses to protect personal information, and their guide to top lessons learned from FTC security cases.