Tax season is approaching quickly, and over the next couple of months, individuals and businesses across the country will be filing their tax paperwork with the IRS. Unfortunately, this also means it’s prime season for anyone looking to steal personal information or swindle people out of their tax refunds.

Tax scams for the purposes of identity theft have been common for decades, but as technology evolves, so do the scams. Taxpayers – and the IRS itself – lose millions of dollars every year to these schemes, so it’s important to understand what’s out there.

Craigslist in particular has earned a reputation as a place for scams, and for good reason: countless fraudsters are trying to trick users out of their money. Here are some common Craigslist scams and how to spot them, so you can reduce your chances of becoming a victim.

Identity theft is a big problem in the United States. Cyber criminals have been hacking into big data banks to pilfer personal information, including financial data, for many years. Recently, data analyzed by WalletHub was used to determine where identity theft occurs most often, and how much money has been lost to these cyber thieves.

In the past 13 years, there have been nearly 9,400 data breaches, which means more than 1 billion accounts have been compromised. That means there’s a good chance that your information could be floating around the dark web, where personal data is bought and sold.

Identity theft is a big issue, and every single person is at risk. Last year’s Equifax hack showed just how easy it is for criminals to gain access to personal information en masse.

With the ever-increasing number of corporate data breaches, identity theft can happen to anyone at any time – even after they die. But some people are more likely than others to become victims of this devastating crime.

For example, when you experience a major life event that requires filing official paperwork – buying or selling real estate, marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, starting new job, etc. –  your sensitive personal information gets entered into all kinds of databases.  This gives hackers more opportunities to find an access point and steal your identity.

Craig Young of Tripwire discovered and reported a vulnerability that allows a hacker to infect Google smart devices like Google Home or Chromecast with malware. From there, they can access a list of networks detected near your device, such as your neighbors’ Wi-Fi networks. Using Google Maps’ triangulation function, the hacker can pinpoint exactly where your device is located with a high degree of accuracy.

About the fraud schemes that are bound to arise, Frank Scafidi, spokesman for the nonprofit National Insurance Crime Bureau, said “We’ve seen it after every significant disaster, and we don’t expect anything different once the Harvey-induced floods recede.”

In recent news, a Kentucky disability lawyer named Eric C. Conn – who plead guilty in March to a $550 million Social Security fraud scheme – is on the run. Early in June, the con man removed his electronic monitoring device and fled. The U.S. District Court has since issued a warrant for his arrest.

The social security program is meant to help people. But some shameless individuals use it to help themselves, and in doing so commit a serious crime.