There's still two weeks, to the day, to file your taxes.
The IRS has already reported more thefts of taxpayer information from tax preparers. About 75 firms acknowledged taxpayer data thefts in January and February — a nearly 60% increase from the same time last year.
Scammers and hackers could be on the hunt for those who are late to file their taxes.
If you haven't even started scrambling to file your taxes, this isn’t the time to be careless.
Tax accountant Keith Hall said be aware and pay attention when you're sending your private information out online.
“If you file really early, like you’re one of those people who have their tax return done by February 2nd or 3rd, you probably eliminate some of the opportunities for someone to file a return in advance of you,” said Hall. “In the overall statistics, that’s a relatively small number, so I don’t think you’re more susceptible by filing late. I think the true susceptibility is in those random e-mails asking for information, and you can get those at any time.”
The IRS will never send you a personal e-mail or call you.
The IRS Criminal Investigation Division is continuing an investigation into data thefts from offices of tax professionals in 2018.