Though the true scope of this fraud is unknown, we identified 1.3 million SSNs from 2016 that were associated with both signs of potential fraud (e.g., wages reported for the SSNs of children or the elderly), and underreported wages to IRS by ...

January 21, 2020 - The SSN is used as a personal identifier, either in the application or record keeping processes, by most Federal and state agencies administering benefit programs, the United States Internal Revenue Service, many state Departments of Motor Vehicles, credit corporations and insurance companies. Accordingly, the SSN is the key to unlimited opportunities for fraud and abuse. The SSA is strengthening its procedures dealing with the issuance of SSNs and has made a firm commitment to vigorously investigate SSN misuse.

Whether it is to steal your identity, misuse your benefits while serving as your payee, or selling you services that we provide for free, we have the power to investigate and shut down these criminals if you report them to us. Take the time to read about some of the more common types of Social Security fraud that could impact you directly, and learn how to recognize, prevent, and report them. Do you suspect someone of committing fraud, waste, or abuse against Social Security?

In addition, we do not have a good ... but these are not all-encompassing. For example, in a recent report, we projected that almost 100,000 non-citizens obtained SSNs in calendar year 2000 with false documents....

season and discover that two returns have been filed using the same SSN.

June 17, 2025 - With tax season looming and the federal government in a partial shutdown, an old story gained new popularity.

IRS can disclose identity theft-related events that occur on a taxpayer's account to the taxpayer, such as the fact that an unauthorized return was filed using the taxpayer's information or that the taxpayer's SSN was used on another return. However, IRS may only disclose to the taxpayer the ...

Scammers may mention overdue taxes in addition to threatening to cancel the person’s SSN.

December 16, 2020 - In fact, he said that the IRS actually had an interest in helping the illegal immigrants to crook these rules. In fairness, perhaps it's just the 'that's not my department' response that abounds in big government. Perhaps this just isn't the IRS's problem, but it sure seems odd to have any agency chief encouraging illegal immigrant theft of SSNs.

A description of employment-related identity theft and actions for victims to take.

The IRS has many security measures in place to verify the accuracy of tax returns and the validity of Social Security numbers (SSNs) or individual taxpayer identification numbers (ITINs) submitted.

According to a 2013 report from the Treasury Inspector General’s office, the IRS issued nearly $4 billion in bogus tax refunds in 2012, and more than $5.8 billion in 2013. The money largely was sent to people who stole SSNs and other information on U.S.

The Office of the Inspector General is directly responsible for meeting the statutory mission of promoting economy, efficiency, and effectiveness in the administration of Social Security Administration programs and operations and to prevent and detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement ...

Here's what to look for and how to report it: Indicators of abusive or fraudulent returns may be unsatisfactory responses to filing status questions, multiple returns with the same address, and missing or incomplete Schedules A and C income and expense documentation. A "fraudulent return" is a return in which the individual is attempting to file using someone else's name or SSN on the return or where the taxpayer is presenting documents or information that have no basis in fact.

December 3, 2024 - Learn what tax identity theft is, how to protect yourself from it, and what to do if it happens to you.

Cybercriminals who successfully steal Forms W-2 immediately attempt to monetize their thefts. Criminals may immediately attempt to file fraudulent tax returns claiming a refund. Or they may sell the data on the Internet's black market sites to others who file fraudulent tax returns or use the ...

May 13, 2024 - The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has begun the process of informing over 70,000 taxpayers that their confidential tax information was leaked in a widespread breach by a former IRS contractor.

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