John M. Hoffman & Associates CPAs
Client Security
We DO NOT send your materials to any other agency or company (such as shops in India) for preparation of your tax returns. Your data is handled exclusively by John M. Hoffman CPA and his employees and other workers that work in his office in Chestnut Hill Massachusetts.
Tax documents or anything with confidential financial information and anything as simple as a document with your social security number on it are shredded when disposed of. The shredding service comes to our office and transports materials in locked bags to the parking lot where they are shredded on site. Documents awaiting shredding are in locked bins.
When we send emails with attachments including tax or other financial documents, they are sent encrypted using a service called Leap File.
New in 2010 - We are required to get a signed authorization from you the client if you request that my office disclose any tax documents (including W-2's) to anybody. Common requests are from clients wanting to obtain a mortgage, or (unfortunately) when getting divorced. We will need to receive a signed disclosure form from you the client before we can release ANY tax documents (you can print this document and fax / mail / email back to us).
What can you the clients do:
Do not consider responding to any email from the IRS or anyone else telling you the good news of your tax refund. These ARE SCAMS that are intended to steal your confidential identity information.
Beware of "phishing" schemes where you get an email asking you to update information about your bank or other financial account. I wish I had as many accounts as I get emails of this sort. These are also out to steal your identity and your money.
Protect your confidential tax materials. As the materials come to you, keep them in an organized safe place until you get them to us. When we return them to you, keep them in an organized safe place as well.
Consider occasionally obtaining a credit report for you and spouse. When you get that, go through the report and make sure that all of the credit cards and other items are in fact yours. If not, you need to contact these companies and let them know that these are not your items.
Keep your life more simple - less accounts, less charge cards, etc., means less opportunities for people to find your confidential information.
