Identity Theft

We’ve got some Twitter chats planned for servicemembers, families, and anyone who works with the military community.

@MilConsumer and @DeptVetAffairs (Department of Veterans Affairs) will host a chat about avoiding and recovering from tax, child, and medical identity theft. Join in at #VeteranIDTheftChat: Wednesday, April 12, 11am ET (10am CT, 9am MT, 8am PT)

@MilConsumer, @CFPBMilitary (the Office of Servicemember Affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau), and @StopFraudCo (the Stop Fraud campaign of the Colorado Attorney General’s Office) will host a chat with tips about your rights concerning debt collection and how to deal with debt. Join in at #Milchat or #Milconsumer: Thursday, April 13, 3pm ET (2pm CT, 1pm MT, Noon PT)

Three million of you called, wrote, or went online to tell us about fraud or identity theft in 2016. Each one of those reports is important to us – and to other law enforcement nationwide – and helps us bring cases against scammers of all kinds. Sometimes, these cases result in refunds for the affected consumers. But these reports also add up to a picture of what happened during the year.

Tax season has just begun, but tax identity thieves already are posting their “gone phishin’” signs: fake emails designed to trick companies into handing over their employees’ personal information. To help small businesses avoid the hook, the FTC and the IRS are hosting a free Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week webinar on Wednesday, February 1, at 4 p.m. EST.

Tax identity thieves and IRS imposters are ready for tax season, whether you are or not. Find out how to protect yourself, and what to do if someone you know becomes a victim, during Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week, January 30 through February 3.