LANSING — With Gov. Rick Snyder proclaiming October as Michigan’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the Michigan Department of Treasury is asking Michiganders to practice cyber vigilance as a way to prevent tax-related identify theft.

Cybercriminals are consistently using new tricks and tactics online to obtain personal information so they can fraudulently file state income tax returns and claim refunds on behalf of unsuspecting taxpayers. Often times, the taxpayer is already a victim of identity theft when a cybercriminal attempts to claim their state tax refund.

“Our priority is to protect Michigan taxpayers from cybercriminals,” said Deputy State Treasurer Glenn White, head of treasury’s tax administration group. “As treasury makes progress in the fight against tax-related identify theft, cybercriminals are getting more sophisticated when impersonating taxpayers and filling fraudulent returns. Taxpayers should always be aware of and prepare for possible scams when conducting business online.”

To protect oneself and be cyber vigilant:

• Only connect to the Internet over secure, password-protected networks

• Do not click on links or pop-ups, open attachments or respond to emails from unknown individuals.

• If unsure of the email sender, type a website name by hand rather than clicking on an embedded link

• Do not respond to online requests for personally identifiable information. Most organizations — banks, universities, companies, the treasury — do not ask for people’s personal information over the internet

• Limit sharing of information by reviewing the privacy settings of one’s social media accounts

• People should trust their intuition. If they think an offer is too good to be true, then it probably is

• Password-protect all user accounts and devices that connect to the Internet.

• Do not use the same password twice. Users should choose a password that means something to them and them only. Change passwords on a regular basis

• If something seems suspicious, report it to the proper authorities.

In 2017, treasury’s increased security measures protected more than 4,000 taxpayers who confirmed their identity was stolen and used to request state of Michigan refunds. This prevented more than $16 million from being distributed.

As an additional layer of taxpayer protection, treasury also sends confirmation quiz letters to help prevent the loss of state tax refunds. Taxpayers should follow the directions if a confirmation quiz letter is received.

To learn more about tax-related identity theft, go to michigan.gov/identitytheft.