Identity Theft During Tax Season

Employee Benefits

‘Tis the Season for Identity Fraud

Did you know that tax season is also identity theft season? The Federal Trade Commission reports tax identity theft as the most common type of identity theft complaint, accounting for more than 45 percent of those reported in 2015, according to the FTC’s website.

Unfortunately, once a ne’er-do-well has your Social Security number, it can be quite easy for the thief to file for a refund while you’re still busy working on your return or getting an appointment with your accountant.

Of course, tax identity theft isn’t the only flavor enjoyed by identity bandits.  There’s also debit/credit card fraud, false credit offerings and payday loan fraud.  While it’s important to take all the usual steps to protect yourself from becoming a victim – such as protecting your SSN, requesting annual credit reports and taking care not to respond to that email that your uncle forwarded from a purported Nigerian prince – you may also want to consider enrolling in an identity theft protection program.

Keep Your Employees Protected and Productive

As a non-traditional employee benefit, identity theft protection helps protect employees from the dangers of living in the digital age and has emerged as one of the top voluntary worksite benefits employees are asking for.  While there’s no way to completely guarantee your identity will never be compromised, for a small monthly fee an identity protection service can ensure ongoing real time credit monitoring, provide data breach notifications and much more.

M3’s Worksite Practice and your M3 Account Executive can help you determine how identity protection can fit into your organization’s overall benefit plan.

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