GREENSBORO, N.C. — Tax season and scams can unfortunately go hand in hand, but with the government shutdown, there's some added concern.
If someone steals your identity, you can't report it to the Federal Trade Commission.
In fact, if you try to go to their website, they have a big red notice saying the FTC isn't open. And if you click on identitytheft.gov, where you can typically file reports, the website isn't even there anymore. It's just a notice saying they'll "resume operations when the government is funded."
So, what can you do?
You can and should file a police report, report any sign of identity theft to your bank and freeze your credit.
Keep in mind, experts say the best way to avoid a tax scam that could lead to identity theft, is to file your taxes early. You still need to file your taxes even if the government is shutdown, but no one gets refunds until the government is back to normal.