Get Your Taxes Filed but Don't Get Scammed

Time is running out to get your income taxes filed, and experts warn that waiting until the last minute could cost you. Rushing through this annual chore at the last minute could put you at risk for more than just making costly mistakes -- it could also make you more likely to fall for tax season-related scams and other attempts to steal your refunds and personal information. Ahead of the annual April 15 deadline, the FBI is warning consumers that criminals are stealing taxpayer identities and filing fraudulent returns in attempts to claim their refunds. It noted that its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has received over 1,000 reports of this over the past year, marking a 26% increase over the same period a year ago. While consumers have long needed to worry about scammers and cybercriminals looking to capitalize on tax season, experts say their threat is only growing as they increasingly harness the power of artificial intelligence tools to boost the scale and sophistication ... Read full article.