What if you are a victim of IRS identity theft?

First step

When your Social Security number is used to file a tax return, you may only know it if the IRS rejects your electronic return or sends you a written notice of the existence of the return. Or, when you are told about the extra taxes you owe, you may find that you have received a refund but have not received a refund or are facing tax actions for a while, although these are incorrect in your case. . You should also check if the US Internal Revenue Service has recorded a wage receipt for an unknown employer.

Treat any of these events as a fraud alert and notify the IRA immediately. Form 14039 is used for this purpose and it tells the IRS that your tax account has been abused by unauthorized persons. Details the tax year that you believe has been submitted for fraudulent returns and mentions the last return you submitted before suspicious identity theft.

Remind the correct authorities

To notify IRS identity theft, Form 14039 should be accompanied by a copy of your Social Security Card and a document verifying your identity, such as a driver's license, US passport or other government-issued identification. If the IRS does not notify you of a second return for your number, please attach a copy of this notice to the IRS and forward it to the IRS. You can also call the number in the IRS notice to find out what you should do.

In addition to notifying the IRS, you should also inform the FTC [Federal Trade Commission] about identity theft through a hotline or visit their website to find out what to do. Submit a report to the local police and then work closely with the main credit bureaus, Equifax, TransUnion and Experian on possible identity theft so that you can get a credit score from the impact of fraudulent financial transactions. The credit institution freezes your account so that any activity on your behalf will not be reflected in your credit score until your identity is safe again.

Identity theft statistics show that some of these events occur when a taxpayer sends personal or sensitive data in response to an email request or phone call from an individual claiming to be an IRS official. There are also many people who respond to queries on social media channels, which is not the communication channel used by the IRS. Keep in mind that the IRS has never requested such information without sending you a written notice to be one of the easiest ways to prevent identity theft. However, if you do your best and your identity is stolen, take immediate action to reduce the risks you face.

If you are a victim of IRS identity theft and how you can cope with this situation, please let us know. If you would like to add to this article, or if you need any help finding an identity theft protection program that suits you, you can contact us.

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