IRS advises regarding identity theft during holidays

The tax collecting agency of the US warned that the holiday season offered cybercriminals a chance to steal personal information to help them file a fraudulent tax return in 2019. These pieces of information include aspects, such as financial account details, social security numbers, credit card information and other sensitive data.

As per IRS, cybercriminals seek to turn stolen data into quick cash, by draining financial accounts, charging credit cards, creating new credit accounts, or using stolen identities to file a fraudulent tax return for a refund. To facilitate online safety, IRS suggested the public to take several steps, such as avoiding unprotected Wi-Fi, shopping at familiar online retailers, learning to avoid phishing emails, keeping devices like cellphones and computers clean, setting up strong passwords, using multi-factor authentication, and encrypting sensitive data.