March 2015
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Identity Theft a Major Concern on IRS Annual “Dirty Dozen” List of Tax Scams to Avoid
March 2014 HRM's Photos of the Month continues its
The Hampton Roads Messenger 5 This year, the IRS will continue
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identify potentially fraudulent returns. These pre-refund filters stop the vast majority of fraudulent returns. Additionally, the IRS continues to expand its partnerships with financial institutions
to identity
fraudulent refunds. IRS Criminal
and stop
its IP PIN pilot program that allows taxpayers who filed tax returns last year from Florida, Georgia or the District of Columbia to opt into the IP PIN program. Additionally, the IRS is offering approximately 1.7 million taxpayers the opportunity to opt in to the IP PIN program in instances where the IRS has identified indications of identity theft on their accounts.
The Hampton Roads Messenger 9 thieves
theft is a frustrating, complex process for victims. While identity
Investigation robust efforts, and
Revenue Service today issued a filing season alert
watch out for identity theft at
WASHINGTON — The Internal warning taxpayers to
tax
time, one of the year’s “Dirty Dozen” tax
scams. The IRS continues to aggressively pursue the criminals that file fraudulent returns using someone else’s Social Security number.
progress on that front.
protect themselves and use caution when viewing e-mails, receiving telephone calls or getting advice on tax issues," Koskinen said. "Keep your personal information safe and secure.
tax-related identity theft and protecting taxpayers, and we are making important
Hampton Roads Messenger publisher Angela Jones, poses with actor Omari Hardwick at the 2014 CIAA Basketball Tournament Fan Experience in Charlotte, NC.
“We remain dedicated to stopping
Taxpayers still need to be extremely careful and do everything they can to avoid becoming a victim,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen.
The Dirty Dozen is compiled
annually by the IRS and lists a variety of common scams taxpayers may encounter any time during the year. Many of these con games peak during filing season as people prepare their tax returns or hire someone to do so. This year for the first time, the IRS will issue the individual Dirty Dozen scams the next 12 business days to raise consumer awareness.
“Scams can be sophisticated and take many forms. We urge people to
their computers and only give out their Social Security numbers when absolutely necessary."
Tax-related identity theft occurs when someone uses your stolen Social Security number to file a tax return claiming a fraudulent refund. While the IRS has made significant strides over the past several years to address this issue, it remains a top concern for the IRS, which is why identity theft remains on the Dirty Dozen again list this year as the IRS works to protect taxpayers and help victims.
As a result of these aggressive
efforts to combat identity theft from 2011 through October 2014, the IRS has stopped 19 million suspicious returns and protected over $63 billion in fraudulent refunds.
For 2015, the IRS will continue Congratulations to these BankOn Virginia Beach graduates! New classes begin next month.
to increase both the number and efficiency of the identity theft data models and filters that are used to
in Fiscal Year 2014, the IRS initiated 1,063 identity theft-related investigations. Criminal Investigation enforcement efforts resulted in 748 sentencings as compared to 438 in FY 2013, an increase of 75 percent. Our incarceration rate rose to 87.7 percent as compared to 80.6 percent in FY 2013. The courts imposed significant jail
time Taxpayers should protect with the average months
to serve in FY 2014 at 43 months as compared to 38 months in FY 2013 with the longest sentencing being 27 years.
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Fighting identity theft is an
ongoing battle as identity thieves continue stealing
to create new ways of personal
using it for their gain. Identity theft cases are among the most complex handled by the IRS. The IRS is continually reviewing processes and policies to minimize the incidence of identity theft and to help those who find themselves victimized. The IRS is working hard to streamline its internal process, but more work remains.
In an effort to help victims, the IRS has issued approximately 1.5 million Identity Protection PINs (IP PINs.) The IP PIN is a unique, six-digit number that is assigned annually to victims of identity theft with resolved cases for use when filing their federal tax return. The IP PIN will allow these individuals to avoid delays in filing returns and receiving refunds.
steal information from sources outside the tax system, the IRS is often the first to inform a victim that identity theft has occurred. The IRS is working hard to resolve identity theft cases as quickly as possible.
The IRS offers the following tips as ways to protect you from becoming a victim of identity theft:
Don’t carry your Social Security
card or any documents that include your Social Security number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).
• Don’t give a business your SSN or ITIN just because they ask. Give it only when required.
• Protect your financial information.
• Check your credit report every 12 months.
• Review your Social Security Administration earnings statement annually.
• Secure personal information your home.
in
• Protect your personal computers by using firewalls and anti-spam/ virus software, updating security patches and changing passwords for Internet accounts.
• Don’t give personal information over the phone, through the mail or on the Internet unless you have initiated the contact or you are sure you know who you are dealing with.
The IRS understands that identity
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