I-Team Blog: IRS warns of refund delays
You may be getting your tax refund a bit later this year because of the IRS’s attempts to fight identity theft. Last week, I told you about the growing problem of scammers who are stealing personal information and submitting fraudulent tax returns. Well, it looks like the IRS’s attempts to stop this may be, temporarily at least, impacting your wallet.
This morning I received an e-mail from local tax expert Paul Mancinone letting me know that tax refunds may be delayed a week this year because of new anti-fraud safeguards. Holding off on the refunds will give the IRS extra time to screen applications and make sure the returns submitted are legitimate.
Despite this delay, the IRS says that refunds will be received well within the timeframe indicated in the original IRS guidelines. You can click here to find out when you’ll be getting your cash.
Here are the IRS’ top tips that can help you outsmart an identity thief targeting your tax return.
1. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. The IRS does not send emails stating you are being electronically audited or that you are getting a refund. If you receive a scam email claiming to be from the IRS, forward it to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.
2. Be aware that identity thieves access your personal information by:
-Stealing your wallet or purse
-Posing as someone who needs information about you through a phone call or email
-Looking through your trash for personal information
-Accessing information you provide to an unsecured Internet site.
3. If you discover a website that claims to be the IRS but does not begin with ‘www.irs.gov’, do not enter the site, and instead forward that link to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.
4. If your SSN is stolen, another individual may use it to get a job. That person’s employer may report income earned by them to the IRS using your SSN, thus making it appear you did not report all of your income on your tax return. When this occurs, you should contact the IRS to show the income is not yours. After the IRS authenticates who you are, your tax record will be updated to reflect only your information. The IRS will use this information to minimize future occurrences.
5. Your identity may have been stolen if a letter from the IRS indicates more than one tax return was filed for you or the letter states you received wages from an employer you don’t know. If you receive such a letter from the IRS, leading you to believe your identity has been stolen, respond immediately to the name, address or phone number on the IRS notice. If you believe the notice is not from the IRS, contact the IRS to determine if the letter is a legitimate IRS notice.
If there’s anything you want the 22News I-Team to investigate, e-mail us at iteam@wwlp.com.


