NIGHTMARE

[bodhi_tree777]

This is turning into a dark day. I filed my taxes electronically on Saturday night, and yesterday I got an e-mail notice that they were rejected by the IRS. The reason for the rejection is that a return has already been filed using my wife's SSN. First thing, I double-checked to make sure all of our info was correct when submitted. It is. So I get on the phone with the IRS, spent about 30 minutes on hold, transferred 3 times, and finally got an "account specialist" who told me that a) they can't tell me if another return was filed with that SSN for security and privacy reasons, b) one person I spoke to seemed to indicate that "this was happening a lot and she wasn't sure what was going on", c) they don't even have a record that I've filed at all this year even though I've already received their rejection notice, and finally d) I'll have to file by mail, at which time they will send letters to me and whoever else filed with that number asking for more documentation. They will then make a decision and ..well, I don't know what happens from there. The people at the IRS are idiots. Their training seems to be "get this person off the phone as quickly as possible" without providing specific information. The "account specialist" refused to transfer me to a supervisor and told me it was their policy to pass my number along, and a supervisor would call me back in 24-48 hours. We'll see if that actually happens. She couldn't tell me why I got a rejection notice even though they don't show my info in the system at all. She couldn't tell me if in fact another return was filed with that number, nor could she tell me if it was a computer glitch (although she often seemed pretty confused and unsure of what she was saying). I'm so freaking frustrated right now. Worried about identity theft, very much in need of my tax return, and not really thrilled about the idea of letting this play out over the next few months. TurboTax customer service will probably be useless, as they'll just refer me to the IRS. Grrr......sorry for the rant

[lovemyraffe]

Sounds like tons of fun Sorry you have to go through all that. I hope it all works out well for you. Good luck.

[bodhi_tree777]

i've been reading up on this, and I guess this kind of fraud is pretty common. Someone will file a tax return using a swiped SSN number and name, and then get an advance loan on the amount of the refund. Usually happens with kids' stolen info, because they're less likely to discover it. Apparently the IRS only does very rudimentary fact checking before they'll process a return, and it's first come, first served. If someone beats you to the punch using your SSN, the burden is then on you to prove you are who you say you are. They don't even flag the initial, fraudulent filing until you file by mail and start the dispute process. Then all they get is a letter at some phony address asking for additional information. They're probably given some amazing timeframe to respond (6-8 weeks or whatever), at which time the IRS will rule in our favor. By then, scam artist guy is long gone. ^$@^&%U^EUJ^JU^%E^$%^$%@&@%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[808 Vibes]

OH no!!! I hope they can get this solved...and the scumbag should get life in prison!

[bodhi_tree777]

Quote, originally posted by HawaiiPontiacLover »OH no!!! I hope they can get this solved...and the scumbag should get life in prison! thanks guys..at this point I can't even be sure if it is a scam, or just inept systems and/or employees at both the IRS and Turbotax. Spent about an hour with each yesterday, and they both waffle back in forth between total ignorance and insinuating blame for the other party. Neither can actually give me an answer as to what has happened. My only recourse is to file by mail and go through the long process of proving identity to the government. This sucks.

[Kari]

How would the scam artists even be able to get a refund without her W2s though?

[bodhi_tree777]

Quote, originally posted by Kari »How would the scam artists even be able to get a refund without her W2s though?you can fake a W2. Programs like Turbotax and other tax-preparing software will allow you to generate W2's for employees. It's a short term scam, with the idea being that they would get a refund anticipation loan from the preparer before the IRS catches on. If this was the case here, my wife didn't work last year so there's no other W2 for it to be in conflict with. IRS didn't raise a red flag until I filed our taxes, making our return a "duplicate". At least, that's my guess on how it would work. I'm still hoping its computer error.

[jimincalif]

This is another good reason why you should adjust your claimed exemptions of form W-4 and adjust your tax withholding so that you do not have a very large refund or better yet, owe a little.Good luck.

[bodhi_tree777]

Little update..I've sort of been avoiding this whole issue because of complete frustration with both the IRS and turbotax, but we finally hired an in-person, real life accountant and it was sooooo much easier. A little more expensive, but worth it in the end. As it turns out, my problem here was not with identity theft or the IRS. It was with Turbotax. They never properly submitted my return, and then when it was caught in their system they sent me an erroneous rejection notice. Their customer service was just as sorry as the IRS's. Long story short, Turbotax messed up (me and Tim Geithner, hah ), and then blamed it all on the IRS. Gave me the run around and wasted tons of my time. So I urge you all, if you haven't already, to skip using them (or any of those box store tax filing joints with their temp employees and hidden fees) and get your taxes done by someone local. You support the local economy, too

[808 Vibes]

I'm relieved to hear it wasn't a case of identity theft!