Tax preparation season is often referred to as 'Xmas for Crooks' because of all of the tax refund fraud scams that pop up during tax season. A common scam that's been increasing is filing fraudulent refunds because more than 70% of US tax returns are eligible for an average of almost $3,000 according the IRS. The growing scam is a form of tax related identity theft because criminals are making use of stolen social security numbers to file a tax return before the actual tax payer does. When it happens, not only will it result in spending a ton of time clearing up the fraud, it will also delay any refund checks due until after the mess has been cleaned up. The 2 actions everyone should take to minimize the chances of it happening to them is protect your SSN as best you can and when you know you are due a refund, be sure to file your taxes as quickly as you can every single year.