gov and useFree File to locate participating commercial service providers

"TheIRS is doing taxpayers a favor by strongly encouraging EV SSL and otherprotections, because nothing is more important than knowing you'redealing with a legitimate provider of online tax filing services," saidTimur Taluy, CEO of FileYourTaxes . "As a part of our overall programto help educate our customers about conducting business safely on theWeb, we deployed VeriSign EV SSL last season to further our commitment toproviding safe and trusted services using advanced, proven technology."Information on the IRS's new e-file security and privacy standards can befound at http://,,id201195,00.htmlFive Tips for Spotting a Fraudulent SiteNearly six of every 10 taxpayers filed online in 2008. Online filing isfaster refunds are received in as little as 10 days and up to 20times more accurate. And approximately 70 percent of taxpayers can prepareand file electronically for free when they enter through IRS.gov and useFree File to locate participating commercial service providers.With millions of taxpayers headed online to file their returns, securityexperts say that consumers armed with the right information can easilytell a real Web site from a fraudulent one.

"The thing that stands betweenconsumers and identity thieves is a little education," said Tim Callan,vice president of product marketing at VeriSign. "Even taxpayers whoaren't computer-savvy can determine if a tax filing site is legitimate orphony by spotting a green address bar. And the standards proposed by theIRS will help allow more taxpayers to 'see green.'"Callan said when filing online, taxpayers should look for five visualcues:1. Green address bar: Look for the green address bar and the company'sname highlighted in green at the top of the browser.2. If the site's Web address begins with https://, that meansinformation you share is encrypted against spying eyes on the Internet Ifthe page doesn't begin with https, it's not secure.3. Padlock symbol: All popular browsers feature a lock icon somewhere inthe interface to indicate pages where encryption is in place.

To bemeaningful this icon must appear in the actual browser interface and notinside the content of the page itself.4. Trust marks: Popular trust marks can indicate important things about anonline business. Look for such marks as the VeriSign Secured Seal (onlinesecurity and verified site identity), TRUSTe (customer data privacy), andthe Better Business Bureau (business practices).5. Web address: Fake sites often employ Web addresses that appear as ifthey may be legitimate. Be suspicious of any site whose Web addresscontains the name of a well-known site in the latter part of the Webaddress. For example, if your favorite bank is located at, be wary of a site such as the most respected and trusted SSL authority on the Web, VeriSign isthe EV SSL Certificate provider of choice for more than 7,000 Internetdomains, representing greater than 75 percent of the entire EV SSLCertificate market worldwide. More than 95 percent of the Fortune 500 and the world's 40 largest SSL-using banks rely on SSL Certificatessold by VeriSign (including VeriSign's subsidiaries, affiliates andresellers) to meet their security needs.