We communicate sensitive personal data all through the day. Sometimes this is intentional, as when we bank online or make a purchase from our favorite website. We constantly post, e-mail and text information and media. Recent articles have publicized how our conversations can be recorded by devices that we bring into our homes for entertainment and convenience and are reviewed and stored by large corporations. The bottom line is, that there are many invisible actors that can access our information for both benign and malicious purposes.
D-ID is a recent Israeli startup that fills a unique niche in the information security/identity theft field. The company has developed solutions for security systems that rely on facial recognition. Many companies in the security field are pitching facial recognition as the next big thing in biometric security, D-ID’s goal is to make that facial recognition technology responsive to the privacy and security concerns that individuals rightly have. D-ID chief executive officer Gil Perry envisions “that companies will use D-ID’s software to store scrambled versions of their customers’ faces rather than an actual, unfiltered image of someone’s face. The idea is to protect the user’s “real” facial information by only storing one of D-ID’s distorted copies.”
When it comes to tax information, security is paramount – especially because that information is typically used as the key to an identity theft scam. Tax-related identity theft occurs when someone uses a stolen Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) to file a fraudulent tax return claiming a refund. Taxpayers should remember that identity thieves constantly strive to find a scheme that works. Once their ruse begins to fail as taxpayers become aware of their ploys, they change tactics. Taxpayers and tax professionals must remain vigilant to the various scams and schemes used for data thefts.
Security tips for taxpayers, tax professionals
The IRS and its partners remind taxpayers and tax professionals that they can do their part to help in this effort. Taxpayers and tax professionals should:
- Always use security software with firewall and antivirus protection. Make sure security software is turned on and can automatically update. Encrypt sensitive files such as tax records stored on the computer. Use strong passwords.
- Learn to recognize and avoid phishing emails and threatening phone calls and texts from thieves posing as legitimate organizations such as banks, credit card companies and government organizations, including the IRS. Do not click on links or download attachments from unknown or suspicious emails. Invest in good anti-spyware and anti-malware software protection.
- Protect personal data. Don’t routinely carry a Social Security card, and make sure tax records are secure. Treat personal information like cash; don’t leave it lying around.
