10/28/2024

National Cybersecurity Awareness Month reminder: IRS and Security Summit supply online safety tips

IRS

WASHINGTON — As National Cybersecurity Awareness Month concludes and preparation for next tax season begins, the Internal Revenue Service and its Security Summit partners today reminded taxpayers to be wary of online threats like identity theft and fraud.

Whether shopping online or browsing social media, people unfamiliar with online security could be putting themselves at risk. Lax online behavior can open the door to swindlers eager to swipe people’s personal information and leave themselves vulnerable to tax-related identity theft.

The IRS and Security Summit alert taxpayers to remain vigilant and to teach children and teens how to recognize and avoid online scams to minimize their chances of falling prey or unwittingly exposing their families to identity theft and tax fraud.

The public-private sector partnership encourages everyone to be aware of the many security vulnerabilities they face online and to review a wide range of resources available to them as October’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month draws to a close.

Members of the Security Summit – a coalition that includes tax software and financial companies, tax professionals, state tax administrators and the IRS – also offer multiple online safety recommendations to protect taxpayers from tax-related identity theft.

Online safety tips