With the holiday season now in full swing, the period presents a prime opportunity for identity thieves to try stealing personal financial information, which also could be used to potentially file fraudulent tax returns. People can face risks if they're shopping online and using publicly accessible Wi-Fi.

All Tax Payers are now eligible to voluntarily get an Identity Protection PIN that will help protect you from tax-related identity theft. The IP PIN is a 6-digit number assigned to eligible taxpayers. It helps prevent identity thieves from filing fraudulent tax returns with stolen Social Security numbers (SSNs). An IP PIN helps the IRS verify taxpayers’ identities and accept their electronic or paper tax returns for processing.

You should protect your personal and financial data from criminals. Thieves use your data to file bogus tax returns and commit crimes while impersonating you.