Tax Fraud & Identity Theft Notice 4/4/16

Tax Fraud and Identity Theft Notice

In light of several reported incidents of tax returns that were fraudulently filed in the names of Stanford community members, the Department of Public Safety and the Information Security Office would like to make you aware of an IRS campaign aimed at preventing this crime, which is on the rise throughout the country. The campaign known as Taxes, Security, Together is a ?a joint effort between the IRS, states, and the private-sector tax industry. The collaboration is designed to raise taxpayer awareness about taking simple steps on the Internet and their personal devices to protect the safety of their financial and tax data. The education campaign complements the expanded series of important new protections the IRS, states, and tax industry put in place for the 2016 filing season to address tax-related identity theft.? The following link to the campaign also provides important information on the various tax frauds and scams, preventive measures, and several resources to help protect your identity and credit: https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Taxes-Security-Together

Additionally, the Information Security Office provides specific guidance to the Stanford community on how to avoid, detect, and handle identity theft at: https://security.stanford.edu/identity-theft

If you are a victim of a tax fraud, scam, or identity theft, please report it to the Department of Public Safety at (650) 329-2413 (24/7).

Once a police report is filed, you can contact the Identity Theft Council, which provides victims with FREE support and credit recovery assistance, by dialing (888) 771-0767. For information on the services offered by the Council that can help reduce the incidence of identity theft, please visit their website at: https://www.identitytheftcouncil.org

If you have any questions concerning this Advisory, please contact:

Bill Larson
Public Information Officer
Department of Public Safety
william.larson@stanford.edu