Identity theft is the number 1 complaint to the Federal Trade Commission, and tax-related identity theft is a growing part of this crime spree. In 2010, about 15 percent of all identity theft complaints to the FTC dealt with tax returns. In 2013, that jumped to 43 percent, said CNBC.
One way to prevent this from happening is to file early because the IRS may be able to process your return before the identity thieves can, said CNBC.