 TITLE: How to Fight Tax Identity Theft CONTENT: How Does Tax Identity Theft Happen?\n-----------------------------------\nTax identity theft takes several forms, but the objective is the same: To harness the power of the IRS to intimidate victims into giving up their money or personal information.\nSpecific ways tax identity fraud can appear include:\n*   **Hijacked tax returns**: A criminal submits a tax return using your identifying information and has your refund redirected to them. It's common to learn of this scam when you try to file your legitimate tax return, only to have the submission rejected on grounds that a return has already been filed using your Social Security number.\n*   **Fake tax collection efforts**: An official-seeming letter, email, phone call or (more rarely) personal visit from a purported IRS official says you owe taxes and will face immediate dire consequences (arrest, forfeiture of your car, etc.) unless you act right away. Follow-up instructions could demand payment via electronic transfer, money order or even prepaid credit cards.\n*   **Identity intimidation**: In the course of trying to bully you into making a bogus payment, scammers posing as IRS officials might ask for access to your bank account or for essential tax info such as your Social Security number or your online tax-filing PIN. In addition to stealing funds directly by using this information, thieves can use it to open bogus bank accounts and apply for loans or credit cards in your name. END