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Are you ready for tax season? If you haven't heard about tax identity theft, you may not be.

Tax identity theft occurs when someone files a phony tax return using your personal information in order to get your tax refund from the IRS. It also can happen when someone uses your Social Security number to get a job or claims your child as a dependent on a tax return.

Tax identity thieves get your personal and financial information in a number of ways. Being aware of these can help protect your information from thieves.

Here are some common ways someone may try to access your personal information.

  1. Someone goes through your trash or steals mail from your mailbox or unlocked vehicle.
  2. Imposters send phony emails posing as officials from the IRS and ask for information about you – like your Social Security number.
  3. Someone preparing your tax information misuses your information or fails to protect it and it is obtained by identity thieves

So what can you do about it?

  1. File your tax return early in the tax season. This reduces the risk of identity thieves filing a phony return before you get your refund.
  2. Always access the Internet using a secure connection, especially if you file your taxes electronically.
  3. If you prefer to mail your tax return, drop it off directly to the post office, rather than leaving it in your mailbox for pickup.
  4. Shred any document that contains your personal and financial information. This includes drafts of your tax forms and calculation sheets you no longer need.
  5. Respond to all mail that you receive from the IRS as soon as possible.
  6. Know that the IRS won’t ever contact you by email, text or social media. If the IRS needs information from you or has identified an irregularity, it will contact you by mail.
  7. Guard your personal information and don’t give out your Social Security number or Medicare number unless necessary. Before giving your information, ask why it’s needed, how it’s going to be used, and how it will be stored.
  8. If someone prepares your taxes for you, get recommendations and find someone you trust before handing over personal information and tax documents.
  9. If you think your SSN has been compromised, contact the IRS ID Theft Protection Specialized Unit at 800-908-4490.
  10. Three times a year, check your credit report to make sure no other accounts have been opened in your name. This could be a sign of fraudulent activity.

If you're a victim of tax identity theft, you'll typically find out when you receive a letter from the IRS saying more than one tax return was filed in your name. If you get a letter like this, don't panic. Contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit immediately. IdentityTheft.govMore information about tax identity theft is available from the FTC at ftc.gov/taxidtheft and the IRS at irs.gov/identitytheft.

Unfortunately, tax identity theft isn't the only way scammers and thieves are targeting taxpayers. The FTC gets thousands of complaints about IRS imposters who claim people owe unpaid taxes and will be arrested if they don't pay up. They may know all or part of your Social Security number, and rig caller ID to make it look like it's really the IRS calling. Before you can investigate, you're told to put the money on a prepaid debit card and tell them the number — something no government agency would ask you to do.

Report IRS imposter scams to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.

This story is provided and presented by our sponsor Navy Federal Credit Union. For more information, visit navyfederal.org.

©2016 Navy Federal Credit Union. All Images used for representational purposes only; does not imply government endorsement.