Expert Q & A

My accountant's computer was stolen and my tax return and personal information could be exposed. What should I do?

Make sure to immediately put a fraud watch alert on your credit report, which you can do through any of the major credit reporting agencies. Ask your accountant how the firm plans to protect your personal information in the future to ensure that this does not happen again. If the firm isn't going to take precautions -- like encrypting your information and installing an alarm system for the office, for example -- consider switching to an accountant who takes digital security seriously.

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