Upstate Residents File Reports Of Tax Fraud

Law enforcement agencies in Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson report at least half a dozen cases where people say they have tried to file their taxes, and they found out that someone else has used their personal information to file a fraudulent return.

The IRS calls this a "significant issue" nationwide. The federal agency tells 7 On Your Side they have made more than 900 charges and 58 arrests nationwide connected to tax fraud.

For more information on how to protect yourself from identity theft, click here.

Denise Garcia says someone is pretending to be her. Garcia says, “It's scary to think that somebody could just use your name and your social (social security number) and you have no idea.” 

Garcia says she filed her tax return online last year with no problem. A few weeks ago, she sat down at the computer again and discovered big problems. Garcia says, “I filed, and I got rejected multiple times.” Garcia called the IRS and found out someone had stolen her social security number and filed a false tax return under her name. 

Garcia says, “They could have taken so many things under my credit and at this moment, I just don't know.

Law enforcement agencies in Anderson, Spartanburg, and Greenville have had reports of tax fraud. The IRS says tax fraud is a problem nationwide. This tax season alone, the feds say they have made more than 900 criminal charges related to tax fraud. 

Vee Daniel, President of the Better Business Bureau in Greenville, says you must first protect yourself online. Daniel says, “You always want to make sure you're on a secure site when you're dealing with money, and make sure that your virus protector is up to date.” 

The IRS says do not carry your social security card or give out your social security number over the phone, through the mail or online unless you know who you're dealing with. And don't leave your personal information out, for roommates or people working in your house, to find. 

If you find out your identity has been stolen, put a fraud alert on your credit report, close the affected accounts, file a police report and call the IRS if it involves your taxes. 

The IRS says the criminals are at work early in the tax season, so the sooner you file your taxes, the better the chance of catching the crooks. Garcia says, “They put a block to that (her tax return processing). Hopefully and gladly, they caught it on time.” It was just in time. Garcia says the IRS  told her the check was about to go out to the crooks instead of her. 

The IRS says it's designing new identity theft screening filters to help spot false returns before they're processed, and the agency is working to flag taxpayer accounts to better track and manage identity theft cases. 

For more information on IRS law enforcement efforts, click here.