We're a sophisticated lot in Silicon Valley but it's still easy to get caught out sometimes. ThreatMatrix  in San Jose, warns that cyber criminals could get to your refund before you do, if you file electronically. And it's very difficult to trace the funds if they do.

There were 1.1 million cases of tax identity theft for 2011 and an additional 1.5 million potentially fraudulent tax returns.

Here's some pointers: