They don’t even need to do that. They simply have your name and social security number, file a return with a fake W-2 (IRS doesn’t get those until much later) and gets a refund before you file a real return. They don’t need your real W-2 to do it. Owing doesn’t prevent someone from having filed a return in your name before you do. Only filing before they do stops them.
We had someone come in today that got a letter from the IRS saying someone had filed a return with the husband’s name and some other man. This will be fun to sort out.
I am not following you. You either owe or you don’t. There’s no such thing as you owe but your withholding exceeds it? Isn’t your tax calculated considering withholding, payments, deductions, credit, and everything else iunder the sun and the net comes out? How do you owe but get refunds?
yes, all data is fake. In our case, I was able to view the fraudulent state return. It was a joint return, with both parties having made a “even-thousands” amount. The total income on the return was ridiculously lower than the income reported on our actual 2013 return and used 2 different employer tax id numbers.
No way to view the federal return but based on a letter we received from the IRS it was a 1040 EZ - a form that we haven’t filed in at least 25 years.
I understand from talking to the IRS that had we been getting a refund, it would most likely be delayed for months. Somehow I don’t think there will be a delay in them processing my payment…
@justamom5465, is the couple known to the IRS? Are they going to be prosecuted? I guess I’m not gettting why someone would do this to you if the IRS was going to send the refund to your address.
Igloo: But if somebody already filed a return with your ID, it doesn’t matter whether you’re getting a refund or owe, you will have to verify your information and paper file the return.
Let me try again; Would you agree all fake returns will show refunds not tax due? If true, would you also agree people who file returns with tax due are not likely fakes?
@nrdsb4, Not sure exactly how (or if) the IRS will follow up with the fraudulent filer. They would not release any details to me about the Federal return besides the fact that it was filed electronically, was accepted, and was a joint return. The filer may or may not have received a Federal refund, that information wasn’t shared with me.
The check that I got in the mail was a STATE (of CT) tax refund check. Evidently if a return directs a refund to be sent through a method that wasn’t the same as the previous year, they just generate a check. (or something like that, I don’t quite understand it myself). So most likely the fraudulent state return asked for a direct deposit to some bank account and instead a check was generated and came to me. I had to mail it back in order for them to clear my files…darn.
Since the returns were filed electronically (Turbotax confirmed that they were filed using their softward) you’d think that somehow you could trace to the actual filer…I’m not sure. I just want to file and be done with it.
@Igloo…I would definitely agree with you, as I was filling out my proof of identity forms to mail with my 1040, I thought to myself…Isn’t the fact that I’m eclosing this gigantic check proof enough for you???
Within the course of the last month, we have received, on two separate occasions, 2 letters at a time addressed to our home bearing the names of Hispanic women. Three names long, such as Maria Rodriguez Vazquez. DH and I both have “obvious” Jewish names. They were from the IRS and were forms saying that more info was needed in order to file our 2014 tax return. The forms gave a secure web site to visit or phone number to call. I looked up the form numbers and their origin on the web, and they seemed to be legit. I tried calling the IRS number that was given, proceeded to hold on for two hours and was then disconnected! So, I decided to go out of my way and go to a local IRS office to ask them what to do. Fortunately, there were no social security numbers listed on the forms. We also had our accountant file an extension for us, just to see if it would be allowed. It would have been disallowed, apparently, if someone had actually already filed a return for us.
The clerk at the local IRS office proceeded to lambaste me for daring to open the envelope in the first place. I said I thought there was fraud involved, but all she kept repeating was that I had no right to open the envelope!! The same thing happened about 2 weeks later, two more envelopes addressed to our home address with the three-name-long Hispanic women’s names. This time I opened the envelopes in a more gentle manner made copies of everything inside, sealed the envelopes back up so that only a trained spy would know they had been “tampered” with, and wrote on the outside of the envelopes “Return to sender. No such person has ever lived at this address. Fraud.” (We’ve lived her for 28 years and bought the house from the original owner.) A friend of mine believes that this is going to haunt us and someday we’ll find out that a lien has been put on our house!
