Giving Tuesday comes on the heels of National Tax Security Awareness Week - a time for taxpayers and tax professionals to become more aware of avoiding scams.

According to the IRS, the holiday shopping season is a prime opportunity for thieves who want your personal financial information.

The agency points to the the rise of texting scams like "smishing" schemes, which is when scammers send text messages pretending to be reputable companies. They say shoppers should be on the lookout and avoid fictitious text scams.

News 12 talks to Anna Strizich, the senior program officer from the Office of Financial Empowerment.