WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced on Tuesday that it would launch a campaign in December across the United States, urging people to better protect their sensitive tax and financial data.

The tax collection agency of the United States planned to launch its third annual National Tax Security Awareness campaign from Dec. 3 to Dec. 7.

"This time of year marks an especially risky period for people and their sensitive financial data," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig.

For each day during the campaign, the campaign will focus on a single key issue that poses a threat to individuals, businesses and tax professionals, providing them tips to better protect sensitive data from cybercriminals.

The campaign will also highlight simple steps to implement strong security softwares and passwords, common tactics used by identity thieves, and specific threats to businesses or tax professionals, said the IRS.

A free IRS webinar, which is a seminar conducted over the Internet, will also be offered to help taxpayers understand the "dark web" and recognize the risks and cybercrimes on the "dark web".

The "dark web" is a term that refers specifically to a collection of websites that exist on an encrypted network, requiring specific software, configurations, or authorization to access.

"There are added risks with online holiday shopping and tax scams that could threaten people's tax data. We encourage people to review some simple steps to protect their data and protect their tax returns during filing season," Rettig added.