I hope this is the right forum for this.
If you have heard of it, the credit monitoring company Equifax was hacked recently, and the attackers got nearly half the US. I'm no expert here, but I have read that one of the attack vectors for identity theft is that someone will file a fake tax return in your name, attempting to get a refund.
One simple way to help with this (not a cure, but it helps) is to file your tax return as early as you can. Being as many people here run hobby businesses and/or are self employed, I thought I'd throw out a reminder- get started early on your tax return for 2017.
If you're like me, you wind up putting it off until March or April, where you panic and do it at the last minute
I know Christmas is a busy season for everyone, but it might not be a bad idea to start digging out your receipts and invoices for this year, then in January you can add December without too much trouble, and you can get your return in soon.
Good luck everyone, and have a great Christmas!