What you should know before you sign your tax return

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Tax day is right around the corner, and many people are finalizing their returns. If you're a little late choosing a tax preparer or if you're about to sign your return, it's important to know about a few changes, particularly if you don't have health insurance that could cost you big bucks if you don't follow a few easy steps.

"Whenever there is confusion, whenever there is a distraction, that creates vulnerability," consumer scam expert Adam Levin said. "And there are a lot of people who feed on that vulnerability."

Levin is talking about a new fee on your taxes that the IRS calls the "Individual Shared Responsibility Provision." And if you don't have health insurance coverage, you may have to pay this new fee through your federal taxes.

"It's about $97 for an adult, $46 for a child, up to a household limit of $285," Levin said.

But the former head of New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs cautions that some shady tax preparers ask this fee be paid directly to them, not the IRS.

"The only payee should be the United State Treasury and nobody else," Levin said.

He says the best way to weed out bad tax preparers is to start with their ID number.

"You need to make sure your tax preparer is properly registered," he said. "They (should) have a tax preparer personal identification number they've been issued for 2015."

And be wary of preparers who tie the size of your refund check to the amount of their fee.

"If someone say I'll get you a big refund, and the size of my fee is based on the size of your refund, run," Levin said.

And watch out for preparers asking you to sign an incomplete tax return.

"Or (one who) hands you a tax return, has you sign it and refuses to give you a copy of it," Levin said. "These are warning signs."

And remember, when you file your taxes, you share your Social Security number. And if your tax preparer is shady, Adam warns, the consequences could be huge.

"You'll be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life," he said. "Because the only thing you can't change is your Social Security number."

And if you're getting a refund, the IRS says direct deposit is the best way to get your money. But just make sure it is your bank account the money goes to and not your tax preparer's.