Cybersecurity expert offers seven tips to prevent identity theft during tax season
Each year during tax season, identity thieves take advantage of the flood of tax returns being filed to steal sensitive information and commit fraud.
From filing fraudulent returns in someone else’s name to stealing sensitive information through phishing scams, the threat of identity theft is real and can have serious consequences, according to cybersecurity expert Mike Chapple, teaching professor of information technology, analytics and operations at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.
“It’s important to be vigilant and take extra precautions to protect your personal information,” said Chapple, a former computer scientist with the National Security Agency. “The good news is that there are simple steps that you can take to protect yourself from identity thieves.”
Chapple offers the following seven tips to take control of personal information and reduce the risk of identity theft:
Pay attention to notices that you receive from the IRS. If you receive a notice from the IRS that you are not expecting, take it seriously and investigate. This could be an indication that someone has used your identity to file a fraudulent return in your name.
Ignore suspicious email messages, texts or phone calls. If the IRS needs to get in touch with you, it is going to send you an official letter. It does not initiate contact with taxpayers through email, text messages or over social media. Scammers, on the other hand, love to pretend that they’re from the IRS in attempts to steal your personal information. If you have any questions about the legitimacy of a message that you receive, don’t follow any of the instructions in the message. Instead, call the IRS taxpayer assistance center directly at 800-829-1040.
Watch for e-file errors. If you attempt to e-file your taxes and receive an error, make sure that you read that message carefully. If the system tells you that someone has already filed a tax return under your Social Security number or that one of your dependents has been claimed on a different tax return, those are red flags that someone may have stolen your identity.
Use multi-factor authentication on all financial websites. Multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your accounts, making it more difficult for someone who steals your password to access your data and your money. Yes, it’s a hassle to get this set up and use it each time you log in, but that’s the point — it’s a hassle for potential hackers as well.
Get an Identity Protection PIN from the IRS. The IRS allows you to set a six-digit PIN that further protects your taxpayer account. With this PIN in place, nobody will be able to file taxes under your Social Security number without providing the PIN. If you set a PIN last year, you need to do it again in 2023. The PIN lasts for one year and must be reset annually.
Monitor your credit report. Regularly monitoring your credit report can help you detect any unauthorized changes or potential fraud early on. This can help you take prompt action to prevent further damage to your credit and minimize the impact of identity theft.
If your identity is stolen, act quickly. Fill out IRS Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit, to report the theft to the IRS. Make sure to keep a copy of the form for your records and follow up with the credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit report. The faster you act, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to lock down your identity and recover any money that was stolen from you.
“Taking control of your identity is like building a fortress around your personal information,” Chapple said. “Every step you take, from adding multi factor authentication to keeping a watchful eye on your credit report, strengthens your defenses and makes it harder for identity thieves to succeed.”
Contact: Mike Chapple, mchapple@nd.edu
Latest Faculty & Staff
- In memoriam: Alasdair MacIntyre, the Rev. John A. O’Brien senior research professor of philosophy emeritusAlasdair MacIntyre, the Rev. John A. O’Brien senior research professor of philosophy emeritus and a permanent senior distinguished research fellow at the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, died on May 21, 2025. He was 96.
- Santiago Schnell, dean of Notre Dame’s College of Science, appointed as provost of DartmouthSantiago Schnell, the William K. Warren Foundation Dean of the College of Science at the University of Notre Dame, has accepted an appointment as provost at Dartmouth College. He will depart Notre Dame at the end of June and begin his new role in July.
- Notre Dame’s Fightin’ Irish Battalion receives Department of Defense award as nation’s top Army ROTC programThe United States Department of Defense honored the University of Notre Dame’s Army ROTC Fightin’ Irish Battalion as the nation’s top Army collegiate program for the 2023-24 academic year. This will be the first time the unit has received the department’s Educational Institution Partnership Excellence Award, which recognizes the program’s achievements in recruiting, educating, training and commissioning leaders of character to be the next generation of military officers.
- In memoriam: Karl Ameriks, the McMahon-Hank Professor of Philosophy EmeritusKarl Ameriks, the McMahon-Hank Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame, died on April 28 from pancreatic cancer. He was 77. Born in post-World War II Germany, Ameriks’ family emigrated to the United States when he was a child, and he grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He received his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from Yale University. He came to the Department of Philosophy at Notre Dame in 1973 during a formative time for the department, which had transitioned from a predominantly Thomist focus to the more analytical American philosophy in the 1960s.
- Notre Dame psychologist explores how children best learn math — and yes, timed practice helpsUniversity of Notre Dame professor of psychology Nicole McNeil recently co-authored a report that examines the best way for children to learn arithmetic — whether that’s by memorizing number values and multiplication tables, or by studying math at a deeper, conceptual level. The report, “What the Science of Learning Teaches Us About Arithmetic Fluency,” was published in the journal Psychological Science in the Public Interest and shows that children learn most effectively when instruction follows an evidence‑based cycle: grounding facts in conceptual understanding, using brief timed practice to make those facts automatic, and then returning to discussion and reflection to deepen that knowledge.
- ’Tis the season for ticks and mosquitoes. A medical entomologist talks about these pests and how to avoid them.Notre Dame expert Lee Haines explains the risks mosquitoes and ticks pose to the Midwest and discusses how the public can best protect themselves and family members (including pets) from these bloodthirsty pests.
