(Photo By Flickr User Patrick Cannon)

Tax filing season is near and so are new concerns over identity theft.

According to a new study, Illinois ranked 7th worst in the nation for identity theft.

Tax-related theft happens when someone uses your social security number to file a tax return. The scary thing is, you may not even know you’ve become a victim until you file your own return and discover a return has already been filed under your social security number.

“We encourage people to get in and file your tax return when you have your information so you can combat that,” said Phil Dietrich, H&R Block Tax Preparer. “Once you file a return electronically with the IRS, your social security number is locked out from anybody else using that electronically for the rest of the year.”

The IRS has tips to protect yourself from becoming a victim: always use security software with firewall and anti-virus protections, learn to recognize and avoid phishing emails and don’t carry social security cards.

Here are some resourceful websites to help you & others protect yourself from fraud this tax season:

Fraud.org: Tax ID Theft (www.fraud.org/tax_id_theft)

IRS: Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft (www.irs.gov/newsroom/taxpayer-guide-to-identity-theft)

AARP: Tax ID Theft & Fraud (action.aarp.org/site/SPageNavigator/FWN_Tax_Fraud.html)

(Information Courtesy Of WGEM-TV)