Taxpayer identity theft came to the forefront during the 2013 tax year filing season. Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information such as your name, Social Security number or other identifying information, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. Nationally, physicians and dentists became victims of identity theft. The IRS could not identify the source of the problem, but it became evident in discussions with others across the country that doctors were a target of the fraudulent activity.
This year was no exception. CPA's encountered an unexpected "taxing" event that caught many taxpayers by surprise as well as the healthcare professionals who filed their tax returns. Many have asked:
- What should I be doing to protect myself from Identity Theft?
- What do I need to do if it happens to me?
- What about software? What can I use to help me combat it?
For this reason tax professional, Michael L. DeVries, CFP, CHBC, EA, has developed an invaluable "Identity Theft First Aid Kit" for healthcare professionals and the like. This Kit provides valuable information including: (1) tips to protect you from identity theft; (2) steps to report identity theft; (3) ID theft resources for victims; and (4) resources to protect yourself from becoming a victim.
As a free gift, Mr. DeVries is offering this Identity Theft First Aid Kit to all that are interested. If you would like to have this kit emailed to you, simply let a Healthcare Compliance Pros representative know at 855-427-0427 or email them at [email protected].
Mr. DeVries is a partner at the CPA firm of VanderLugt, Mulder, DeVries & Elders, and the focus of his accounting practice for over the past 29 years has specialized in the healthcare industry, specifically, helping physicians and dentists with their business.