Identity theft may not be one of your primary concerns this tax season, but according to numbers pulled from the IRS’ official website and from Fraud.org by Best Company’s Alayna Pehrson, it should be. Before filing this tax season, taxpayers should know all the risks that are out there and the preventative measures that should be taken to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft as well as what to do should such an incident occur.

In her piece “What You Need to Know about Tax Identity Theft This Tax Season”, Pehrson interviews alliantgroup CEO Dhaval Jadav, alliantgroup Cybersecurity Vice President Jon Murphy and other experts within the cybersecurity sector on important information and other tips regarding tax related identity theft during the filing season. From reviewing the major tells that you have had your identity stolen to preventative measures that should be taken beforehand to the steps that must be taken should a taxpayer fall victim to identity theft, Jadav and Murphy layout what taxpayers must do to secure their confidential information this filing season.

According to Pehrson, in 2014 the Federal Trade Commission reported that complaints related to tax identity theft were the most common complaint out of any type of identity theft. The article also notes that “conservative estimates put the cost of this fraud to the nation’s taxpayers at $5.2 billion annually.”

Click here to read the article in its entirety and to learn more on how to stay prepared this tax season. Please click here for more information on alliantgroup’s cybersecurity division.