Protecting Your Personal Information

We take the security of your personal information very seriously. Our office is under 24/7 video surveillance. In addition to locking our office when we leave, the wing that contains our suite is also secured after hours. On weekends the building is secured with locked gates. Within our office, the file cabinets are in a room that we lock when we leave. The cleaning crew does not have a key to this locked room.

We keep on file a copy of all tax returns from the previously filed tax year (the prior years are on a disk). We dispose of past returns — and any other sensitive paperwork — by sealing them inside a locked bin, which is then handed over to a certified professional shredding service.
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There are ways you can protect yourself against identity theft. We have adapted the following information from the IRS website:
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The IRS does not initiate taxpayer communications through e-mail. Many scam artists use a method called “phishing” to gain taxpayer’s personal information. This is often carried out by unsolicited e-mail and/or websites that pose as legitimate sites and lure unsuspecting victims to provide personal and financial information. If you receive an e-mail claiming to be from the IRS that contains a request for personal information, do not reply, click on any links or open any attachments.

If you receive a phone call, fax or paper letter via mail from an individual claiming to be the IRS but you suspect they are not an IRS employee, ask for a call back number and employee badge number. You can contact the IRS to determine if the caller is an IRS employee with a legitimate need to contact you.
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You should send us a copy of any letters you receive from the IRS. We will be able to determine if it is a legitimate correspondence.