Tag: tax fraud

Taxpayers should obtain Identity Protection PIN each year for tax filing security

In an effort to provide enhanced security to federal income taxpayers, the IRS is offering a voluntary, opt-in Identity Protection (IP) program for taxpayers. The PIN is a six-digit number known only to the taxpayer and the IRS and prevents someone else...

IRS allows fraud victims to obtain fraudulent return

Many of those who have fallen victim to tax return identity theft have wanted to see a copy of the fraudulent return filed. Initially, the IRS disallowed this request; however, they have changed their position. The new policy, detailed on the...

Best practices to deter and deal with identity theft

The volume and magnitude of identity theft incidents have grown to an alarming extent. Last year, more than 9.9 million Americans were victims of identity theft, a crime that cost them roughly $5 billion. Tax-related identity theft crimes have also...

Beware of calls from IRS impersonators this filing season

The Treasury Inspector General for Taxpayer Administration (TIGTA) is reminding taxpayers to beware of phone calls from individuals claiming to represent the IRS in an effort to defraud them. Since October 2013, the TIGTA has received reports of roughly 290,000...

A checklist for victims of tax return fraud

We have had two clients in the last two week be victims of a fraudulent return filed with the State. The clients were indirectly notified by receiving an audit notice from the State requesting information related to the client’s 2013...