Tax Preparation Services Dubuque

If you choose to use online tax preparation services in Dubuque, Iowa, you will want to be careful. Many hackers are out there trying to get your personal information. Your email is often one of their favorite choices. Many times, potential victims will receive an email they think is from H & R Block or even TurboTax. The message may look legitimate because it has all the right logos and the wording seems to be on point, however, if you do not look close enough, you will see some clues that will tell you H & R Block or TurboTax did not send the email.

Spotting A Potential Phishing Email

Most tax preparation services will not send out emails with a generic greeting of ‘Dear Customer.’ They will also not be looking for a reply, meaning they will not ask you to confirm any personal information. It would be foolish for you to respond back with the personal information they are looking for. More than likely it will say in either the email’s subject line or the address details that you should not reply, should the service send you an email regarding your tax return. Emails are only likely sent after your return has been e-filed. Such an email is simply updating you on the status of your return.

An email from the major tax preparation services will likely be generated from the company’s website. If you see DO NOT REPLY in the subject line, and you can see the website’s address clearly in the email sender, it is likely a legitimate email. However, if you see a bunch of gibberish or extra letters in the address, it is likely a bogus email and should not even be opened. A large majority of these types of emails are just looking for you to respond with your personal information.

No Email Attachments

tax preparation services will not send out emails with attachments. Should you receive an email with an attachment that appears to be from a major tax service, delete it immediately. Do not open the attachment, as it could contain a virus, malware, or even spyware that could do great damage to your computer or mobile device. Again, the major tax services will not email you any of your tax documents, as you have the opportunity to save them to your computer’s desktop or print them out, once your tax return has been completed.

Keep Your Personal Information Safe

While using tax preparation services is easy and convenient, sometimes it is not a good idea to do what their program suggests after you complete your tax return. Printing out your return is a good idea if you have a secure lockbox to keep it in. Should your house ever be broken into, criminals will target not only your valuables, but also your personal information. Should copies of your tax return be laying around, you can bet they will not stay there once the criminal is done inside your home.

Downloading a copy of your tax return is a good idea, but not if you are going to save it to your desktop or hard drive on your computer. If your computer is ever stolen, your personal information will go along with it. It may be a better idea to download your return to a thumb or external drive. If it is small enough, you can lock it up for safe keeping.

Accessing your tax return on a public computer is never a good idea. You never know how strong or weak the encryption on the website will be, and a skilled hacker can likely break through and steal your information. Storing your tax return on your smartphone is also not a good idea, as hackers can also steal information that is stored on your phone. Cloud technology does wonders when it comes to freeing up electronic space, but it can be a nightmare when it comes to keeping personal information safe.

Shredding Personal Documents

According to most experts, you should have copies of your past tax returns on file for a certain number of years. After these years are up, storing them could become a hazard to your home’s safety and your personal information. God forbid a fire should ever start within your home. The extra unneeded documents could become fuel to a fire that is spreading out of control, especially if they are being kept in a fire-safe storage area. Tax returns and documents are not something you can just toss in the garbage can. Any garbage picker can go dumpster diving and find your personal documents.
You are better off buying a paper shredder from a local office supply store. It will be a lot harder for dumpster divers to get your personal information if they have to piece the shreds back together. Nine times out of ten, they will see the shredded remains and just give up. There may be one person out there who is willing to sit there and try to piece the information together, but the chance that they will succeed is not very likely.

Be Careful Sharing Documents

Tax preparation time sees many people sharing their personal information with others to try to get their returns completed and filed. Sharing your personal information with others may not be the best of ideas, especially if you do not know someone all that well. Nowadays, some people have no shame. They will exploit everything they can get their hands on if it will turn them a profit. Some people out there wouldn’t think twice about taking your social security number and starting several credit accounts in your name. So while it may seem like a good idea to send your tax information home with your co-worker because her husband is a CPA, you never know who will be handling your information and what they will do with it.
The experts at Buchheit Tax can help. Our tax preparation services in Dubuque, Iowa are secure, trusted, and reliable.