ATLANTA — Fraudsters looking to steal personal and financial information are out in full force now that tax season is under way.
The IRS says people should expect to be asked extra questions when they meet with their tax preparer this year.
"The authentication is going to take a little longer but not much," said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.
Channel 2 consumer advisor Clark Howard has learned that Georgia is part of a pilot program that offers an identity protection PIN, or personal identification number.
"It's very effective. It means that if somebody has your social security number, they can't use it to file your return, because you've got your own special PIN," Koskinen said.
The IRS is also working to implement multi-factor authentication.
"You'd be authenticating yourself through your iPhone, through your home computer, through your land line. We'd have a way of communicating with you, checking to make sure you are who you say you are," Koskinen said.
Even with the extra measures taken by IRS, there are easy ways people can protect themselves from identity theft.
"Taxpayers need to protect their data. They need, when they are online, to make sure that they've got firewalls. They have virus protection. They keep it updated," Koskinen told Howard.
Koskinen told Howard one of the biggest scams to watch out for is the phone scam. Since 2013, millions of taxpayers have been duped out of their money.
"If you're surprised to be hearing from us, you're probably not hearing from us," Koskinen said.
One thing that could confuse people is starting next year, the IRS is contracting with private bill collectors to come after those who owe the IRS a debt.
Koskinen said anybody who gets contacted by a collector next year will know ahead of time that they owe the IRS money, because they will have received notification repeatedly through the mail.
WSBTV
