Although you often enter your personal data online, it is important to take measures to protect yourself. The following tips can help you protect yourself from identity thieves:

• Be careful what you share and post online. Remember, don’t post or share anything that you wouldn’t want shared publicly, even if you think you’re just sending it to one person.
• Be aware of what is being shared about you. Set the privacy and security settings on web services and devices to your own comfort level. Limit how and whom you share information with. This includes friends, relatives, businesses, etc.
• Don’t send any sensitive information when connecting over public Wi-Fi.
• Manage your privacy settings and check for updates on your social media and other application privacy settings. To find a comprehensive list on how to do this, check out StaySafeOnline. 

Following these tips can help keep your computer clean and your personal data secure.

• Use caution when opening emailed files that come from someone you do not know.
• Verify senders. If you receive an unexpected email from someone you know asking you to download a certain file, call and ask the person to verify that they sent the email.
• You can install a site advisor to help you decide if the site is trustworthy or not.
• Only download files from known and reputable sites that have confirmed that the download is malware free.
• Research software. If you are unsure about the quality of a download, leave the site and research the software you are being asked to install.
• Keep your computer up-to-date. Make sure your computer has an updated antivirus service.
• Set your antivirus schedule to automatically update and run scans daily.

A strong password is the first line of defense for protecting your personal data online. Passwords are necessary for a majority of our online activities, including filing taxes, social networking, online banking, and paying bills. Creating complex and unique passwords helps to keep your information more secure.

A strong password should:

• Be a minimum of 8 characters long
• Contain at least one capital letter (A-Z), one lowercase letter (a-z), one number (1, 2, 3…), and one special character (*!#>/%@…)
• Be changed on a regular basis or once a year (Remember, it's more important to create a strong password than to change a weaker one often.)

Passwords should NOT:

• Be written down
• Contain the user ID, user’s name or initials, or family member names
• Contain other personal identifying information (nicknames, license plates, home address, SSN, birthday)
• Be used on more than one site

Tips:

• Use a password that’s easy for you to remember but hard for a hacker to guess. You can easily turn a sentence into a complex and secure password, also known as a "passphrase."
  For example: 
  Sentence: My daughter Helen was born at 8:15 am.
  Password: MdHwb@8:15am.
• You can also use a password manager that creates and stores unique, complex passwords for multiple sites. Password managers encrypt your password database with a master password that you generate. To compare different password managers, check out this review from Consumer Affairs.
• When available, enable two-step verification or two-factor authentication.

The SCDOR is committed to keeping taxpayer information secure and helping to educate and inform taxpayers about potential identity theft and fraud threats. Follow these steps to help protect yourself and your family:

• Educate yourself and your family on potential scams, phishing attempts, and how to avoid them by utilizing IRS and SCDOR Security Center information. Learn about different types of fraud from the SC Department of Consumer Affairs.
• Protect your personal information. Make complex online passwords. Do not use the same password for multiple sites. Keep sensitive paper documents locked in a filing cabinet.
• Be careful with your money. Know who you’re dealing with in any situation involving monetary transactions. Don’t send money to unestablished charities. Don’t play foreign lotteries. Don’t agree to deposit a check and wire money back. Research a company before you invest. Always be wary of unsolicited offers.
• Review your monthly statements carefully for any unauthorized charges. Thieves can steal your account information and run charges on your debit and credit cards. If you notice any strange charges, contact your bank or credit card company immediately.

Look for more tips and information regarding scams, phishing emails, and identity theft from the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, and the IRS.

Generally, yes, but you should always be mindful of who you allow to access your personal and financial information.

• Be wary of tax preparers who claim they can get you unrealistic refunds. A good rule of thumb to remember is: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
• You may consider contacting the South Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants (SCACPA) for assistance in finding a tax preparer.
• The IRS shares some additional tips on how to choose a tax preparer.

Learn more about questions to ask before you hire a tax preparer to keep you safe.

Yes! Filing online is the most secure way to file.

• Your return is processed automatically and electronically through secure connections. Paper returns are handled by multiple people and take longer to process.
• You can file most taxes on our free, online tax portal, MyDORWAY​. See more about individual​ and business filing options.

Unexpected disasters such as floods, fires, earthquakes, and hurricanes can occur at any time. It is important to prepare ahead of time to keep your personal and financial information secure.

• Keep electronic copies of important documents in case your hard copies are damaged.
• Consider keeping backup copies on an external storage device, like a flash drive or hard drive. Store these duplicates in a safe place, like a waterproof container at a trusted relative's home or in a safe deposit box.
• Filing your tax returns electronically is faster and more accurate – and it ensures that your returns are protected from a natural disaster.
• Get more tips at dor.sc.gov/emergencies.

Phishing (as in “fishing for information” and “hooking” victims) is a scam involving the distribution of email messages to trick taxpayers into revealing personal and financial information which can be used to steal the taxpayer’s identity.

The South Carolina Department of Revenue does not initiate contact with taxpayers through electronic communication to request personal or financial information. This includes emails, text messages, and social media channels.

If you receive requests like this, report it to the Department of Consumer Affairs.

• Generic greetings
• Grammar and spelling mistakes
• Threats or requests for immediate action
• Unexpected attachments and links
• Requests for personal or financial information

One clear sign that an email or website claiming to be SCDOR might be fake: it has an address that ends in ".com" or ".net". Most official agency business comes from websites and emails that have ".gov" or ".state" or ".us" in the address.

See if you can spot a phishing email with our Phishing Quiz.

Here are five things the scammers often do, but the IRS of the SCDOR will not do. Any one of these five things is a tell-tale sign of a scam.

The IRS or SCDOR will never:

• Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill.
• Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
• Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
• Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
• Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here's what you should do:

• If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040. IRS employees can help you with a payment issue.
• If you know you don't owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1-800-366-4484 or online.
• If you've been targeted by a phone scam, also contact the Federal Trade Commission and use their "FTC Complaint Assistant" at FTC.gov. Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" to the comments of your complaint.

• Check with the IRS to determine whether a charitable organization is legitimate. You can do so by calling 1-877-829-5500 or checking online.
• You can also check to see if the organization is a registered charity with the Secretary of State, though this registration is not required. You can check with the Secretary of State by calling 803-734-1790 or searching online.

Often, people think of identity theft as stolen credit card or banking information. However, stolen identities can also be used to file a fraudulent tax return. Criminals can use a stolen identity to:

• File a tax return in order to receive a refund.
• Get a job, which would make it appear that you did not report all of your income.

These are examples of tax fraud. Learn more about fighting and reporting fraud.  

If you suspect or know of an individual or company that has committed tax fraud, complete the CID-27 Tax Violation Complaint Form. You can submit this form by:

Email: FraudAdvisor@dor.sc.gov​

or

Mail:
South Carolina Department of Revenue
Attn: Fraud Advisor
2070 Northbrook Blvd, Suite B7
North Charleston, SC 29406

Learn more about fighting and reporting fraud.

• Someone else has filed a tax return in your name.
• You have an overdue balance or collection action from a year you did not file a tax return.
• You find confirmed IRS records of wages from an employer you never worked for.

• File an Identity Theft Affidavit (Form I-381) with the SCDOR.
  • If you need further assistance, call SCDOR's dedicated identity theft customer care line at 803-898-7638.
• Contact the SC Department of Consumer Affairs.
• Contact the Federal Trade Commission.
• Visit the IRS Identity Theft resource page.
• File a police report.
• Contact the three major credit bureaus to review your credit report and place a fraud alert:
  • Experian
  • Equifax
  • TransUnion

Yes. Unfortunately, children whose identities have been stolen may not find out until they apply for a student loan or credit card and learn a thief has been using their identity for years.

You can protect your child's identity by:

• Checking your child's credit report annually.
• Never carrying your child's Social Security cards with you.
• Not sharing your child's Social Security Number or other personal information without confirming why it's needed and how it will be protected.