Thieves are fraudulently acquiring business identities at an alarming rate. Criminals may use your business identity to perpetrate a fraud against your business or someone you do business with. This type of scheme has been reported in more than half the states in the country. No business is too small to be a target for thieves. Strategic methods have been developed to steal your business’s identity, but there are steps you can take to make your business a less appealing target to potential thieves. To find out more, see the complete alert sent to Gunster clients and friends of the firm this week: Don’t be a victim of fraud: Shield your business against corporate identity theft. To sign up to receive e-alerts from Gunster, visit www.gunster.com/subscribe. UPDATE: Thwart theft of future tax refunds The Internal Revenue Service allows individual taxpayers to put the agency on notice of possible future theft of tax refunds. Individuals who wish to take advantage of this should complete IRS Form 14039 (“Identity Theft Affidavit”) and check Section A (“Reasons for filing this form”), 2 (“I have experienced an event involving my personal information that may at some future time affect my federal tax records”). We understand a taxpayer is then assigned a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to use when filing his or her 1040. This may be especially beneficial for high net income individuals, as well as taxpayers who may own pass-through entities such as partnerships or S corporations. Please consult your legal and/or financial professional if you believe your tax refund may be subject to theft. Image courtesy of photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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