Bru and Cooper.... quick question.

[Mntneer]

An employee of mine, young guy, just learned this morning that someone is attempting to steel his identity. They have his name, DOB and Social Security number, and attempted to open a bank account. I've told him to get on the phone immediately with the credit reporting services, but remember that one of you guys went through something similar and had a hell of a time with the IRS and taxes. He's already filed for 2018, but should he still contact the IRS about it?

 

[WVUCOOPER]

An employee of mine, young guy, just learned this morning that someone is attempting to steel his identity. They have his name, DOB and Social Security number, and attempted to open a bank account. I've told him to get on the phone immediately with the credit reporting services, but remember that one of you guys went through something similar and had a hell of a time with the IRS and taxes. He's already filed for 2018, but should he still contact the IRS about it?

Yes. He needs to get an 8 digit pin from them, for future filings.

Steps for Victims of Tax-Related Identity Theft

• All victims of identity theft should follow the recommendations of the Federal Trade Commission: File a report with the local police.
• File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.ftc.gov or the FTC Identity Theft hotline at 877-438-4338 or TTY 866-653-4261.
• Contact one of the three major credit bureaus to place a “fraud alert’ on your account:
  • • Equifax – www.equifax.com, 800-525-6285
    • Experian – www.experian.com, 888-397-3742
    • TransUnion – www.transunion.com, 800-680-7289
• Close any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.

If your SSN has been compromised and you know or suspect you may be a victim of tax-related identity theft, take these additional steps:

• Respond immediately to any IRS notice; call the number provided.
• Complete IRS Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit. Use a fillable form at IRS.gov, print, then mail or fax according to instructions.
• Continue to pay your taxes and file your tax return, even if you must do so by paper.
• If you previously contacted the IRS and did not have a resolution, contact the Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 800-908-4490. We have teams available to assist.

The IRS has greatly reduced the time it takes to resolve identity theft cases but please know these are extremely complex cases, frequently touching on multiple issues and multiple tax years. It can be time consuming. A typical case can take about 120 days to resolve.

If you are unable to get your issue resolved and are experiencing financial difficulties, contact the Taxpayer Advocate Service toll-free at 877-777-4778.

 

[WVUBRU]

An employee of mine, young guy, just learned this morning that someone is attempting to steel his identity. They have his name, DOB and Social Security number, and attempted to open a bank account. I've told him to get on the phone immediately with the credit reporting services, but remember that one of you guys went through something similar and had a hell of a time with the IRS and taxes. He's already filed for 2018, but should he still contact the IRS about it?

I'm sorry about your employee. Yes, I have had my personal info stolen and attempted to use my credit cards, bank account and other small but pain in the butt things but I haven't had the experience of someone file taxes under my name. Yes, contact the credit bureau's. If he hasn't filed his taxes yet, do it as soon as possible. On the fourth time it happened to me, I got the guy's address so I filed a police report and gave them copies of everything so they could possibly investigate. But they are so overwhelmed with this type of stuff, nothing was ever done.

He needs to change his bank account and credit cards. If the thief has that much info, he can tap into his current financial information and start robbing him blind. Have him contact his financial institutions immediately.

Hopefully Coop can give better info on the IRS. Good luck to him and glad you are attempting to help. Big thumbs up.

 

[Mntneer]

Thanks. I'll pass this on to him. I've got him on the phone now with the Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. He's already put a hold on his bank accounts and credit cards.

Apparently the bank knows the name of the guy that attempted to open the account, but not sure if it's a fake name or not.

 

[Airport]

I'm sorry about your employee. Yes, I have had my personal info stolen and attempted to use my credit cards, bank account and other small but pain in the butt things but I haven't had the experience of someone file taxes under my name. Yes, contact the credit bureau's. If he hasn't filed his taxes yet, do it as soon as possible. On the fourth time it happened to me, I got the guy's address so I filed a police report and gave them copies of everything so they could possibly investigate. But they are so overwhelmed with this type of stuff, nothing was ever done.

He needs to change his bank account and credit cards. If the thief has that much info, he can tap into his current financial information and start robbing him blind. Have him contact his financial institutions immediately.

Hopefully Coop can give better info on the IRS. Good luck to him and glad you are attempting to help. Big thumbs up.

I had a guy steal my identity, he then turned around and sued me for ruining his life![winking]

 

[EERs 3:16]

yes, bru is the 'girl' in their relationship....