View Full Version : IRS Says I've Already Filed - Now What?
Our CPA files our tax return over the weekend & get a rejection from the IRS saying that a return is already on file with my SSN for this year. So, now I get the pleasure of dealing with the IRS & proving I am who I say I am.
Anyone else gone through this scenario? Any advice?
Eurodriver
04-13-15, 11:06
There's nothing you can do outside of contacting the IRS IPS (IIRC)
I'd look into identity theft protection, and immediately check all of the major credit reports.
ETA to clarify, in case you are unaware, someone fraudulently filed a return with your SSN to claim your refund.
ETA to clarify, in case you are unaware, someone fraudulently filed a return with your SSN to claim your refund.
Oh, I'm painfully aware of what that meant. God, I hate thieves!
This is very common.
I have had my identity, credit card # stolen several times in the last 2 years. I was worried that someone would fraudulently file my return. Luckily, this did not happen.
Some suggestions for next year:
1. Adjust withholding if possible. There is nothing to steal if you are not owed $.
2. File your return ASAP. File before the identity thief.
3. Consider using a service like Lifelock, Trusted ID. I was alerted of unauthorized activity on my credit file (attempt to get a Capital One Card). I was able to stop it and repair my credit.
I order to fraudulently file a tax refund it is my understanding that the thief needs to open a bank account in your name. This allows them to get the funds electronically deposited. You might receive notification of this new account via the credit alert service.
Definitely check your credit report.
I would also google your name. You will find your info listed on several "people finder" type websites. You need to opt out of these. The asshole that stole my info got my credit card number from a data breach (probably Target). He used my card number to get my info from one of those sites. He obtained my DOB, SSN, mothers maiden name. He then contacted my credit card company and changed my mailing address. This allowed him to run up the card and attempt to have the goods mailed to the new address.
I would also have e mail alerts enabled with your credit card company. I was notified immediately when my address was changed. I was able to stop the asshole from getting the shipment.
My last suggestion is to contact your banks and credit card companies. Instruct them that you want to verbally protect the accounts with a password. This prevents anyone from changing mailing addresses, closing the accounts without the password.
Happened to me last year. You must contact the IRS fraud department and verify you are who you say you are and that the other person is not. They usually are able to block the fraudulent person but they do lock your account, which could possibly be what is happening. If you will then have to file via paper to a different address, and if you are getting a return you will probably have to wait 6+ months for it. Sorry :/
You can apply for a PIN which will help protect your from thieving pricks like this.
Sorry you have to deal with this. This happened to my wife and I last year and is an increasingly large problem. Filing early doesn't guarantee anything. Most of these a**holes file fraudulent returns on Jan 1 likely before you receive your W2.
You'll need to fill out the IRS Identity Theft Affidavit (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f14039.pdf). We included proof of our identity with copies of our passports, driver's licenses and our global security ID (or other government ID if you have one). Do call the IRS to verify that there has been activity on your account (they won't tell you what activity, just verify that they've observed this) and to let them know that you're a potential victim of identity theft and that you're submitting the affidavit. Occasionally someone will transcribe a SSN so it's not always identity theft per se.
Compete instructions here: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Taxpayer-Guide-to-Identity-Theft
They IRS is supposed to resolve cases of identity theft in 180 days, but this is most definitely not the case. For us, that was last year and we still haven't heard back from them even though we wrote them a large check (which they cashed immediately, of course).
Next year you likely won't be able to file electronically either due to this year's issue.
Do as the other's have posted. Check your credit report and look for anything suspicious. Employ Lifelock or Trusted ID if you think you're identity has been compromised.
Good luck!
JBecker 72
04-13-15, 13:31
This also happened to my friend last year. It took a few months to get sorted out but it finally did. They also opened some credit cards in his name too and maxed them out. He is still dealing with the hit his credit took from the situation.
Good luck man. Thieves suck.
I would also go old school and move a majority of your money into a savings with one of those little books until you can get this sorted out.
Thanks for all the input. Fortunately, I have no credit cards so a bogus account is easy to spot. I've filed a Fraud Alert with all three credit reporting agencies as well as obtained copies of my credit report. The IRS form 14039 will be submitted with my hardcopy tax return.
As far as withholding, I've already trimmed it down, so my tax return is quite small. I've already spotted some odd things on the credit reports and have filed disputes against the discrepancies. I did spot a car finance company in the Detroit area that ran a report (as if someone attempted to obtain a loan) and am contacting them directly to inform them of potential fraud (and possibly obtain other information).
Frustrating part is the IRS obviously has an address & bank account for the perp & it would be fairly simple to track them down using this info, but good luck getting them to release it. My sister is a lawyer, I will contact her to see if it's even possible to pry this out of the IRS.
It's probably obvious that I'm pissed - I really hate thieves.
You can also place a credit freeze on your credit. This will reject any new accounts that someone tries to open.
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It sounds to me like you've had at least one computing device compromised and your personal information stolen and sold to Tax fraud thieves. You should assume they have everything, because they probably do and this is only the first evidence you've seen. You might get lucky and this was the most marketable way of ruining your life and nothing else will happen, but you can't risk it.
Here is how this stuff works. Someone compromises your computer, steals personal information and then posts it as available for sale (on the internet). There is a chance your situation is related to one of the many recent large breaches of data stores that contain social security information. (Anthem / Blue Cross Blue Shield) However, if I were in your shoes I would try to get the stuff under control below and not assume you were the victim of a larger data breach.
First steps:
1. Contact the IRS and inform them of your situation.
2. Call one of the three Credit reporting agencies (Experian works for me) and have them create a 90 fraud alert on your account. One agency is all you need as they are required by law to alert the other two on your behalf. (I recommend renewing this every 90 days had will have the added benefit of no longer getting most of the Credit card applications in the mail box.)
3. Contact your banks and credit card companies and tell them what has happened and if they have any standard process for Identity theft. At a minimum I would get new cards issued for all accounts.
4. Examine your computers / mobile devices for evidence that you've been owned. If you do banking from your Android mobile device, start there.
4a. SuperAntispyware and malwarebytes are two tools for you to use on any PC's you have. (If you can't do this, pay for professional help.)
Steps to take as preventive measures against future issues: (In order of priority)
1. Change passwords on any important accounts immediately. Then again after the computer you suspect as compromised is certified clean.
2. On any windows computers....Create a separate admin account with a strong password for installing software etc.
3. Lower the privileges of any other user accounts so they do not have admin privileges. Do your web browsing and email in a non admin account.
4. Install java updates the day they are released.
5. Install adobe flash and PDF reader updates the day they are released.
6. Install all windows updates automatically and as soon as they are released.
7. Ensure you are using the most up to date version of your browser of choice. I prefer Firefox as Chrome has issues of its own and google is full of arrogant snobs.
8. Avoid doing online banking or other important stuff from an Android mobile device.
9. Use an up to date antivirus software program and have it configured to receive signature updates as soon as they are released.
10. Install a java script blocker as an add on to your browser. (I use noscript in firefox)
The second part of this is about as close as you can get to being a near guarantee of being safe online and eliminates ~98% of your exposure to being owned.
ETA: I take all of the preventive measures above and still keep my tax documents on a USB stick locked away in a place in the house where only my wife and I know where it is located.
Withholding doesn't matter... it doesn't matter if you owe taxes or are owed a refund. They are filing a fake return with fake numbers not your numbers. They get a refund no matter what your situation is.
Just curious.. of those of you that had yours compromised, how many were using TurboTax, Quicken or both.
Withholding doesn't matter... it doesn't matter if you owe taxes or are owed a refund. They are filing a fake return with fake numbers not your numbers. They get a refund no matter what your situation is.
Just curious.. of those of you that had yours compromised, how many were using TurboTax, Quicken or both.
Correct. Withholding and filing dates may matter when the IRS investigates, particularly if the contested return is money owed or the initial is a refund request filed very early in the year. I was informed by an investigator at the IRS that they prioritize these types of identity theft investigations for the early filed refunds, but it certainly didn't expedite our case.
I also just found out that our contested return from last year was resolved after being on hold for two hours today. So we are who we say are (!). I'm so happy they made an effort to inform us :mad:
We used TurboTax.
This just happened to me- got a bank card number hacked too.
I used TurboTax as well.
IRS said file on paper and include ID theft affidavit. Then file police report and contact FTC / Equifax.
What a pain in the ass.
I swear if I ever get ahold of one of these ****ers..... Jack Bauer is going to look positively cuddly afterwards...... :laugh:
Police report is probably a necessary step but they don't have jurisdiction over Russians and is pretty much a waste of time.
This just happened to me. I got a letter from the IRS asking me to contact them to verify my 1040A filing. That told me right away that something was wrong, because I had not filed at that point and I haven't filed a 1040A in almost 20 years, always 1040. The best time to call the IRS was 0800, if you're late the line will be very busy. I got through on the second day. The gentleman I spoke with was very nice and intelligent, I was pleasantly surprised. He was sympathetic and walked me through all the steps. He couldn't reveal the details but he said the crook filed electronically. Then last week I got a paper invoice from Turbo Tax about the fee that "I" owe them. The IRS blocked the refund that the crook was looking for, so they couldn't pay Turbo Tax. I called Turbo Tax and took an hour on the phone to clear that up. Turbo Tax wasn't very confident in the IRS catching the crooks.
The thing is, a couple weeks before all this happened, I filed a fraud victim report with all three credit agencies as I was a former member of Blue Cross & Blue Shield and they were hit when their parent company Anthem was hacked.
I hope the crooks rot in hell.
I have investigated a few of these. The return is usually filed online with an IP Address in Europe. They usually use some third party company to receive their return on a prepaid card that they eventually transfer to something outside the country. This is driving the IRS Agents nuts.
With TOR and the "dark" web, who really knows where this is happening.
It's an absolute epidemic this year. We're getting like 3 people a day coming in to report this. That's in a city of about 13000. Most of them do seem to be using Turbotax. I'm not sure why they make these people waste their time making a report with their local PD, like one of the 35 of us is going to crack this one, go to anywhere on the planet this could be coming from and collar up. Best of luck to anyone who was the victim of this, it seems like a huge hassle.
Crow Hunter
04-14-15, 10:18
A financial forum I am on is rampant with these this year. Most of them seem to be related to TurboTax, at least in my very unscientific anecdotal "data" collection.
The good news is that if you are owed a refund, the IRS will pay you interest after a certain amount of time (60 days IIRC). They are currently paying 3% which is WAY better than you can get anywhere else with a guaranteed return.
So look at this as an investment opportunity. :)
Doc Safari
04-14-15, 10:23
The best time to call the IRS was 0800, if you're late the line will be very busy.
That would be 0800 Eastern Time, correct?
walkin' trails
04-14-15, 14:06
Sorry you have to deal with this. I know several folks who suffered this CF this tax year. One was told that there are crooks using programs that generate and submit SSNs for filing returns. When they hit on a good one, they use it. Nevertheless, it appears that the age of the SSN has come and gone and the paradigm needs to change. Of course you suggest that to an elected rep of either party and it seems to fall in on deaf ears
brickboy240
04-14-15, 14:08
since I always have to pay....nobody wants to steal MY identity and file for me!
LOL
That would be 0800 Eastern Time, correct?
I've tried calling the IRS but somehow have not been able to get past the phonebots and speak with an actual human being. Guess I'll have to keep trying.
Meanwhile, I've filed the hardcopy return with affidavit and proof of identity. Haven't had a credit card since 2009, so no worries about compromised cc #'s (I use a prepaid money card for internet orders, so exposure there is also limited). Fraud alert is active with the credit agencies, so no joy for the crooks.
Gotta file a police report (for whatever good that'll do) and change the bank account (again).
This must really be rampant this year as some have stated. In our office, there are two others that have had the same thing happen to them.
walkin' trails
04-14-15, 17:37
Sat with a family member who had his kid's SSN used one someone else's return. The wait was excruciating long and he was finally told to file by sending paper copies to the IRS.
JBecker 72
04-14-15, 18:56
Damn, maybe I should stop using Turbo Tax. Used them this year and last. Crosses fingers.
Damn, maybe I should stop using Turbo Tax. Used them this year and last. Crosses fingers.
It is not related to Turbo Tax, although I fully support you not using that Communist Company's software.
It is not related to Turbo Tax, although I fully support you not using that Communist Company's software.
Say what?
I use tax act personally.
Say what?
I use tax act personally.
I am one of the owners of a silencer manufacturing company. We have used Intuit for the last 5 years as our credit card processing service/vendor ("merchant account").
At about 4:30 PM today I got a call that they were cancelling our merchant account (effective today) because their new policy prohibits all gun stuff.
We are not happy to put it mildly.
This is not a lone example, however, let's not turn this thread into that topic. Sorry for the slight detour OP.
That would be 0800 Eastern Time, correct?
Eastern time. Now that I think of it, it might have been earlier.
Anyhow, I've always filed paper forms, never ever filed electronically in my lifetime. The IRS instructed me to mail my paper 1040 to a different processing center that handle fraud victims.
Doc Safari
04-15-15, 09:10
Eastern time. Now that I think of it, it might have been earlier.
Anyhow, I've always filed paper forms, never ever filed electronically in my lifetime. The IRS instructed me to mail my paper 1040 to a different processing center that handle fraud victims.
The thing about paper forms is that they're real hard for hackers to target.
I ALWAYS file paper forms, and will continue to do so until they make it impossible.
The thing about paper forms is that they're real hard for hackers to target.
I ALWAYS file paper forms, and will continue to do so until they make it impossible.
People make fun of me and say I'm old fashion, behind the time, etc.
The thing about paper forms is that they're real hard for hackers to target.
I ALWAYS file paper forms, and will continue to do so until they make it impossible.
Hardcopy filing has little to do with whether you or your family's SSN is going to be used by some thief who steals the matching identity, steals or fabricates a fictitious employer/W2, steals your address, and submits electronically prior to you mailing yours in. See http://money.cnn.com/2015/02/10/technology/security/hackers-tax-refund/
I've frozen my credit with all three major credit institutions.
I've frozen my credit with all three major credit institutions.
My wife and I did this several years ago as opposed to paying a monthly fee. Just be sure you remember to lift the freeze if you need to run your credit. We forgot when we went to buy a car and I can tell you it does work. I have been meaning to look at freezing my daughters info but it is a little more involved, and varies state by state if I recall correctly.
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