PO BOX 1095
Mango, FL 33550
ph: (877) 241-2704
fax: (813) 438-7948
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November 23rd, 2015
The IRS and Social Security Administration recently published new tips for individuals and business to help avoid Identity Theft, which is estimated to have cost the IRS 5.2B last year alone. A video is available here. If you think you have been the victim of identity theft resulting in the loss or improper payment of your tax refund, the process can be quite difficult to navigate alone. At the minimum, you will be required to submit IRS Form 14039 - Identity Theft Affidavit before receiving any refund or other relief from the IRS. In some instances, the IRS has initiated collections against clients for information submitted in fraudulent returns and to recover refunds that were not issued to the taxpayer.
If you have been the victim of Identity Theft, the IRS will also issue you a PIN that must be used when your tax return is submitted or the return will be presumed fraudulent and not processed.
Everyone knows that the Holiday season comes with risks as well as joy. Each year, thieves steal billions of dollars through various schemes, including phony online stores, identity theft, or simply taking packages off your front porch. Recently, the IRS has also reported an increase in phone scams where scammers pretend to be IRS agents and demand immediate payment. These thieves are fairly good at contacting people who actually do owe the IRS money, so often they are able to exploit a person's fear. Here are the typical claims made by the phone scammers:
If you receive a call from a purported IRS agent asking for immediate payment to stop collections or criminal charges from moving forward, you should NEVER send payment without first calling the IRS directly. If the caller left a message you should NEVER call back or deliver any personal information over the phone. If you happen to pick up the phone, here are some things to keep in mind that help verify that you are speaking with an actual IRS Agent:
Keeping these things in mind can help protect you from these increasingly common scams. On the rare occasion that the call is from the IRS, your case has probably progressed to a point where you need some experienced representation. Contact us and we can discuss your options as part of a free initial consultation.
If you believe that you have been the victim of identity theft related to your taxes and/or social security number, you should consider engaging a professional who is familiar with the process. Clients in the past have been levied or garnished on balances for returns that they were not even aware had been filed. It is imperative that the IRS Collections Division be informed and that someone is there to coordinate between Collections and the Identity Theft department to ensure that no enforced collections proceed while the Identity Theft issue is resolved. We can act as your quarterback, managing your case across the different departments of the IRS to prevent an already stressful issue from turning into a serious problem.
While some people will wait until after a levy or garnishment is in place to act, it is much cheaper and faster to resolve the issue at the first sign of trouble. Whether you have a levy/garnishment in place or have just discovered the problem, please feel free to Contact Us today to discuss your issue.
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PO BOX 1095
Mango, FL 33550
ph: (877) 241-2704
fax: (813) 438-7948
info