Personal Identity Protection is Key this Spring

The time to file taxes has arrived again, and there’s another obligation expected this year: the census.

While you give information about your earnings and the number of people in your household, be careful not to give away your identity. Identity theft and fraud run rampant this time of year and it’s important to keep your personal information secure.

Practice safe Census

The only time the Census Bureau will conduct official business over the Internet is to send an e-mail encouraging people to participate in the census. The bureau will not request any personal information such as a Social Security number or bank account number, nor will it publish information like your address, phone number, etc. The census is for statistical data only and will be mailed directly to your house as official business of the United States.

The Census Bureau has posted the exact questions that will be mailed to you on their Web site. If you are asked anything other than these questions, don’t answer. Census workers are required to come to your household if you have not submitted census information by the April 1 deadline.

Here are some tips from the Census Bureau Web site to distinguish a legitimate census worker apart from the fakes:

• Every legitimate census worker wears a government badge that has his or her name in red and a color picture. The badge will be headed “U.S. Department of Commerce” and will also reference the U.S. Census Bureau and will show an expiration date. Do not provide any information until you see the badge. If you still feel uncomfortable, ask for a second form of ID to compare.
• Census workers will never ask to enter your home, nor ask you to submit information on the Internet.

Filing your taxes: prepare and protect

Giving out personal information is more difficult to avoid when filing your taxes than filling out the Census. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will not communicate with you through e-mail either.

Increase your safety by following these helpful hints offered by the IRS:

• Be wary of digital photocopiers. Their disk drives are used to remember and reproduce documents, so avoid copying your tax returns. Also, shred any unsecured documents containing personal information used in preparing your taxes.
• If you’re e-filing, consider having a tax preparer from the IRS Web site assist you.
• If you e-file on your own, make sure your Internet connection is secure and don’t e-file if you have a file sharing program like LimeWire or share an Internet connection over Wi-Fi.
• Do not save your password for a bank account or credit card in any Web browser to avoid it from leaking or being hacked into.
• Encrypt your files for further security. After getting a PDF copy of your return, go to My Documents, right click on file name and select Encrypt.
• If you’re mailing your taxes, only do so from a post office or a U.S. Postal Service collection box. Avoid letting it sit overnight in the box because it could be stolen.

ERIE’s Identity Recovery Coverage

ERIE is aware of the headache identity thieves can cause. That’s why ERIE offers Identity Recovery Coverage. For a low annual fee, the coverage will help you recoup fraudulent charges and, more importantly, ease the stress of restoring your identity after theft occurs.

Call our agency today to talk about adding this valuable coverage to your HomeProtector policy. If you have any reason to believe your identity is being fraudulently used, contact the ERIE Identity Recovery Help Line at 1-866-ERIENOW (1-866-374-3669).