The 10 Stages of Tax Identity Theft

Tax identity theft, like many other forms of identity theft, is down right terrifying. Each tax season provides an opportunity for tax identity theft criminals to do their dirty work. Once these thieves get their hands on your social security number, the odds of you having a normal tax season are not in your favor. Here are the 10 stages of being a tax identity theft victim:

1. At the beginning of the tax season, you'll likely feel invincible.
   
   
2. Little do you know, you just entered into a fight between you and tax identity thieves.
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. You get a notice from the IRS telling you that there has been more than one tax return filed under your name and social security number.

4. You do research on how to report the tax identity theft and you immediately fill out the official IRS Form 14039 which you mail back to the IRS.

5. Now that you've done your part, it's time to wait (a typical IRS tax identity theft case can take up to 120 days to solve).

6. The IRS takes action and hopefully things work out for the best (it can depend on your situation).

7. After your struggle this tax season, you recover and learn from your mistakes

8. You're in good shape for next tax season because you researched and did all you could to prevent tax identity theft.

9. You teach your family, friends, and everyone you know about the dangers of tax identity theft to help keep them safe

10. You never forget your experience and strive to do what you can to avoid becoming a victim of any other form of identity theft

If you want to know more about what to look out for and how to report and prevent tax identity theft, visit the official IRS website. To prevent becoming a victim of other forms of identity theft, you might want to look into hiring a professional identity theft protection service. The best identity theft protection companies offer around-the-clock monitoring and immediate notifications if there is any potential for fraudulent activity. They will also help you come up with a recovery plan if you do become a victim of identity theft under their watch.