How are my tax records affected by Identity Theft?
Generally, identity thieves use someone’s personal data to steal his or her financial accounts and run up charges on the victim’s existing credit cards; but you need to be aware of some other potential areas where this type of fraud may occur as they relate directly to your tax records.
Undocumented workers or some other individuals may use your Social Security Number to get a job.
That person’s employer would report W-2 wages earned using your information to the IRS so it might appear that you did not report all of your income on your return.
An identity thief may file a tax return using your Social Security Number to receive a refund.
If the thief already filed a return using your Social Security Number, the IRS will believe that you already filed and received your refund, and the return you just submitted is a second copy or duplicate.
If you do receive a notice from the IRS that leads you to believe someone may have used your Social Security Number fraudulently, please notify IRS immediately by responding to the name and number printed on the notice or letter.
Be alert to possible identity theft if the notice or letter states that:
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more than one tax return for you was filed, or
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IRS records indicate you received wages from an employer unknown to you.
If you receive a notice, contact us either by phone or in writing as directed in that notice. Our tax examiners will work with you and other agencies, such as the Social Security Administration, to help resolve the problem.
You should also know that the IRS does not initiate request personal taxpayer information through e-mail. If you do receive this type of request, it may be an attempt from identity thieves to get your private tax information.
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