The FBI is warning the public about criminal actors stealing taxpayer identities to file false tax returns and fraudulently claim refunds.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center has received more than 1,000 complaints about identity theft in connection with tax returns within the past year. This is an increase of 26% from the previous year.

Stolen refunds are often redirected to accounts or addresses thieves control, including bank accounts, prepaid debit cards, mail drops and/or third-party accounts.

The Internal Revenue Service recommends establishing an Identity Protection Personal Identification Number, a six digit number assigned to taxpayers to help prevent the misuse of a taxpayers’ Social Security number on fraudulent federal income tax returns.

Once enrolled, a new IP PIN will be generated each year.

Enrollment in the IP PIN program starts by establishing an online account at IRS.gov.

If the taxpayer is a victim of tax identity theft, the IRS will automatically enroll the taxpayer into the IP PIN program.

For further information on how to enroll in the IP PIN program go to the website https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/identity-theft-guide-for-individuals#steps.

The FBI encourages taxpayers who suspect they have been a victim of identity theft to report the incident to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at the website www.ic3.gov.

Additional information regarding identity theft may be found at identitytheft.gov.