It’s National Tax Security Awareness week: learn how to protect your data

National Tax Security Awareness week 2022 highlights 

What tax professionals and their clients should be thinking about during Cyber Monday, throughout the holiday season, and beyond.

Protect personal and financial information online.

In addition to following this guidance themselves, tax professionals should remind their clients to take common-sense steps to protect their personally identifiable information (PII), such as:

• Using security software for computers and mobile phones – and keep it updated.
• Making sure anti-virus software for computers has a feature to stop malware, and that there is a firewall enabled that can prevent intrusions.
• Using strong and unique passwords for all accounts.
• Using multi-factor authentication whenever possible.
• Shopping only secure websites; look for the "https" in web addresses and the padlock icon; avoid shopping on unsecured and public Wi-Fi in places like coffee shops, malls, or restaurants.

Review security protocols

As preparation for busy season 2023 starts to ramp up, tax professionals should deploy basic security measures such as:

• Using multi-factor authentication to protect tax software accounts.
• Creating a Virtual Private Network if working remotely.
• Creating a written data security plan as required by federal law.
• Knowing about phishing and phone scams.
• Creating data security and data theft recovery plans.

Get an Identity Protection PIN

The Identity Protection PIN or IP PIN is a six-digit code known only to the individual and the IRS. It provides another layer of protection for taxpayers' Social Security numbers on tax returns. 

Use the Get an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) tool at IRS.gov/ippin to immediately get an IP PIN, and never share the IP PIN with anyone but a trusted tax provider.

Watch out for tax-related scams and implement safeguards

Small businesses especially need to be aware of scams and learn about best security practices. Check out the "Business" section on IRS's Identity Theft Central for more information.

Protection of sensitive financial information from identity thieves should be ongoing 

Although the IRS and its Security Summit partners set aside one week a year to place particular focus on tips to protect tax pros and taxpayers from cybercriminals, this activity needs to be an ongoing effort with a heightened awareness of the protocols that should be deployed to best protect tax pros and taxpayers of identity theft and the security of sensitive financial information.

For more detail see IR-2022-202

#GivingTuesday

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving marks Giving Tuesday, when many people choose to make charitable donations. 

The IRS reminds those making charitable donations for Giving Tuesday, or at any time during the year, to review whether their gift is tax-deductible.