As a society we continue to progress further and further towards becoming completely digital. Once attributed to the likes of sci-fi and the jetsons, acts such as depositing checks via cell phone and voice controlled cars are becoming common place. Along with advances in the digital lifestyle have come advances in digital crime. Identity theft remains at the forefront of digital crime. While advances are being made on a daily basis to combat identity theft, the fact remains that the criminals got a significant head start. The IRS defines identity theft as when someone uses your personal information such as your name, SSN etc., without your permission, to commit crimes. In recent years we have seen more and more cases of personal information being used to file fraudulent tax returns. TaxSlayer.com has implemented a number of safeguards against fraudulent returns and monitor our system on a daily basis in an effort to detect any cases of fraud. In conjunction with IRs identifiers we are making significant progress against these criminals. With that being said fraud is always a possibility. You may not know that fraud has been committed until after the fact. In many cases these criminals will use your information to file a tax return as early as possible and will try to obtain a fraudulent tax return before you have even filed. Be alert to red flags such as IRS notices stating that more than one return has been filed, you have an unknown balance due from a year that you did not file, or the IRS shows wages from an unknown employer. If you feel that you are a victim of identity theft contact the IRS immediately to begin the process of combatting the fraud. If you believe that you are at risk you can also contact the IRS has have them implement special safeguards. Always remember that at TaxSlayer.com we are always here to help as well. Remember, it always pays to be cautious. TaxSlayer.com maintains the strictest standards for making sure that your information is never compromised within our system and that is our guarantee to you.

Every year the IRS releases its most common “tax scams.” These 12 scams, referred to by the IRS as the “Dirty Dozen,” are the most common pitfalls for tax payers and are prevalent year round. With that being said, taxpayers are most likely to encounter them around tax time, which is, NOW. I will provide a brief description of a few of these scams but you can find the detailed list here. • Identity Theft - Becoming more and more common identity theft are some of the most common and complex issues faced by the IRS. The IRS will notify a taxpayer if multiple returns have been filed using their information. The IRS also maintains a robust screening process to weed out fraudulent returns. However, if you believe you are a victim of identity theft contact the IRS immediately. • Phishing - Phishing can begin from a fraudulent email or letter encouraging you to provide your personal information. Please note that the IRS will never send a letter or email requesting such information. If you receive an email or letters like this contact the IRS immediately. • Return Preparer Fraud - First and foremost you can avoid this by preparing your own return on TaxSlayer.com!! Some preparers take advantage of their customers by filing inflated returns or even skimming off the top of their refunds. These are just the three most common scams. Make sure that you read over the entire list to help prevent yourself from falling victim to one of them. TaxSlayer.com has safeguards built in to help make sure you are protected.

Tax time is upon us. The IRS will begin accepting tax returns on January 17th and TaxSlayer.com is already processing thousands of tax returns every day. The question is, what should you do if you don’t have all of your tax forms?? If you are without some of your tax forms don’t fret, as a matter of fact most tax payers have yet to receive all of the forms required to file the tax return. Federal law allows employers, as well as other companies preparing tax documents (such as bank, educational institutions, day care etc.), until January 31st to provide these documents to you. With that being said you may want to get a jump on things so here are some suggestions to make sure you get these documents in your hands ASAP. • Ask your employer: While many companies don’t have to prepare the forms until the end of the month they may be able to generate them easily, especially smaller companies. Make sure you check with your boss and/or payroll department and they may be able to get it for you on the spot. • Check your address: If you have recently moved, the forms could be sent to the wrong address. A lot of the time you may forget to update your address with those that don’t send to you on a regular basis. If this is the case they may be able to resend the documents. • Check online: Many reporting agencies such as banks, mortgage lenders, and school may post the required forms online. In most cases these forms are available online long before you would receive them in the mail so make sure to check. • Contact the IRS: If all else fails you can contact the IRS in early February and they can help you track down the forms and information that you need. In most cases the information will be reported to them as well and they should be able to help. Just make sure that before you call you have all of your personal information ready to dish out. Once you receive all of your paperwork you can submit your return with TaxSlayer.com. With that being said it is not too late to get started regardless of whether or not you have everything you need. You can still register today and get started. TaxSlayer has more tools than ever to help you get the maximum refund possible and our calculations are always guaranteed. So what are you waiting on?? Get started today!!!

It may not be close to April 15th yet but hundreds of thousands of Americans are getting a jump start on filing their 2011 tax returns. TaxSlayer is seeing increasing volumes of tax returns on a daily basis. While the IRS won’t being officially accepting returns until the 17th of January, customers can complete their return now (as soon as they receive all of their paperwork) and it will be held in a batch at TaxSlayer’s secure processing center and will be processed and transmitted immediately to the IRS as soon as they open for acceptance. TaxSlayer has a completely revamped and much more user friendly interface this year that makes filing your taxes with TaxSlayer faster and easier than ever before. Customers who file their return before January 17th can receive confirmation of their accepted return as early as mid-morning on the 17th and could have a refund direct deposited as early as January 26th…now wouldn’t a big refund be a nice way to kick of 2012??? Make sure you log on to TaxSlayer.com and register today, many returns even qualify to be filed COMPLETELY FREE!!!