Fed Tax E File Rejected - somebody already filed using my SS number - what to do?

[Disappointed]

I just submitted my Fed Tax Return through TurboTax this morning and received an email stating that my return was rejected

"This return was rejected by the IRS because the taxpayer's identification number assigned to this return has already been filed and accepted by the IRS ?"

This is not good. Looks like somebody already filed under my SS?

Advice please! How to contact the IRS and how to correct this problem?

Thanks,
MP

 

[Fermion]

Oh fudge. That is no bueno.

 

[easysurfer]

I just submitted my Fed Tax Return through TurboTax this morning and received an email stating that my return was rejected

"This return was rejected by the IRS because the taxpayer's identification number assigned to this return has already been filed and accepted by the IRS ?"

This is not good. Looks like somebody already filed under my SS?

Advice please! How to contact the IRS and how to correct this problem?

Thanks,
MP

Oh no. Makes me afraid to pull the trigger to efile.

I say, search through the Q&A areas in Turbotax. Maybe you'd find an answer on others who encountered the same thing and how they contacted the IRS.

 

[Fermion]

This is BS! It is not like you have a choice to file your taxes, you are required by law to file. I might have some lower amount of sympathy if we paid taxes by choice but this is totally the IRS at fault.

Why is security so high to buy I-bonds but so low for filing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes?

I am mad for the OP's sake.

 

[Big_Hitter]

sorry bro - bad juju

 

[Tailgate]

lucky that mine went through with no issues... good luck...hope your number hasn't been lifted by some scammer..

 

[jkern]

This happened to a friend of mine last year. File a paper return and call the IRS and State to report identity theft. Then call the local police to file a report for your records. Then contact credit cards. You should be fine. My friend had no real negative consequences.

 

[Coolius]

You have had your ID stolen. Not sure the best way to proceed, but try calling the IRS and asking.

Sorry to hear of this happening, it's definitely not good.

Hope you resolve it quickly.

Best wishes.

 

[LOL!]

I'd search the internet to figure out what to do.

 

[Gone4Good]

This is BS! It is not like you have a choice to file your taxes, you are required by law to file. I might have some lower amount of sympathy if we paid taxes by choice but this is totally the IRS at fault.

Agree it's the IRSs fault. It doesn't sound like a big deal to check an e-filed return against the previous return(s) and require that a certain amount of information be similar before any refunds are automatically released. If returns are significantly different from year to year, kick that return to an actual person for follow up and verification.

And / or assign everyone a new tax-ID number that's required for filing.

Seems like there's maybe 100 different ways the IRS could prevent this kind of fraud. But each of them probably requires $ to implement.

 

[2017ish]

Here are a couple of IRS links dealing with this. First, the overview: https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Identity-Protection

Second, what to do when victimized (Scroll down to "Steps for Victims"): https://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Identity-Theft-Information-for-Taxpayers-and-Victims

 

[Alan]

Sorry to hear that this has happened to you.

I thought they must have tightened up on security this year because when I filed I had to enter my PIN (set up a few years ago) and details from my driving license. My son still has to file and I told him to be sure to have his DL with him when he comes over. (He uses my laptop with TT to file and always leaves it very late even though he could file early February)

 

[latexman]

I had this issue about 10 years ago. Despite contacting the IRS and reporting it, there was no action because it was not large enough to be on their radar. The result, I tried to e-file for 3-4 years. No luck. Now I don't even try to e-file, I print and mail it.

 

[Sunset]

This is BS! It is not like you have a choice to file your taxes, you are required by law to file. I might have some lower amount of sympathy if we paid taxes by choice but this is totally the IRS at fault.

Why is security so high to buy I-bonds but so low for filing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes?

I am mad for the OP's sake.

+1
We ALL need to be able to get a PIN of 20 characters (not 6) from the IRS as our SSN#'s are public knowledge.

How dumb can the IRS be, why do they accept tax returns where the data has changed significantly, example say I'm 60, suddenly my next return claims 3 children, this should alert them it is a scam... and they should NOT send the refund until the person complains and proves the return is true.

Certainly they should NOT send multiple refunds to the exact same address for different returns, I read where they sent 2,000 refunds to the same address.

 

[MichaelB]

I just submitted my Fed Tax Return through TurboTax this morning and received an email stating that my return was rejected

"This return was rejected by the IRS because the taxpayer's identification number assigned to this return has already been filed and accepted by the IRS ?"

Sorry to hear that.

Here are a couple of IRS links dealing with this. First, the overview: https://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Identity-Protection

Second, what to do when victimized (Scroll down to "Steps for Victims"): https://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Identity-Theft-Information-for-Taxpayers-and-Victims

Excellent links, thanks. From the second, I highlighted the next step with the IRS.

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 – Check Your Credit Report & Credit Score Ratings | Equifax, 800-525-6285
    • Experian – Check Your Credit Report & FICO® Score | Experian, 888-397-3742
    • TransUnion – Credit Report, Credit Scores & Credit Lock | TransUnion, 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.

 

[tmm99]

You have had your ID stolen.

I must be missing a crucial ingredient in understanding this. I can understand identify thieves apply for credit cards under someone else's SS#, but would this work for IRS taxes? Do they make up fake W-2's and get a huge refund sent to their own address? Is that what they generally do?

 

[Gone4Good]

I must be missing a crucial ingredient in understanding this. I can understand identify thieves apply for credit cards under someone else's SS#, but would this work for IRS taxes? Do they make up fake W-2's and get a huge refund sent to their own address? Is that what they generally do?

I think the problem is that the IRS has prioritized sending out refunds and deprioritized allocating the resources necessary to match billions (trillions?) of pieces of paper against one another. So the refunds go out long before any of the documentation is even verified.

By way of example, my HSA provider sent an erroneous form to the IRS that said I had zero contributions for the year. Meanwhile, I deducted the full amount allowable that year in my filing. The IRS didn't come back to me looking for back taxes (and interest!) until two years later. It took them that long to notice that my tax filing didn't match the other tax documents they received.

 

[aja8888]

I must be missing a crucial ingredient in understanding this. I can understand identify thieves apply for credit cards under someone else's SS#, but would this work for IRS taxes? Do they make up fake W-2's and get a huge refund sent to their own address? Is that what they generally do?

Yes, that's what they do. And some of them file hundreds of fake returns. Literally amazing the IRS hasn't figured out a way to stop this.

 

[Disappointed]

Thanks for all the responses. TurboTax has a page on this issue, looks like I have to file form 14039 with paper return. I may have to try to call them but yet to find the number to call.

Looks like I have a lot of work to do.

 

[Fermion]

I would just file a paper return and let the IRS worry about it (unless they owe you a lot of money). Being retired, I would actually consider going to tax court over this, just to waste their time.

 

[Dimsumkid]

Thanks for all the responses. TurboTax has a page on this issue, looks like I have to file form 14039 with paper return. I may have to try to call them but yet to find the number to call.

Looks like I have a lot of work to do.

I googled it for you

IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit
800-908-4490

good luck.

 

[dixonge]

Advice please! How to contact the IRS and how to correct this problem?

Thanks,
MP

This happened to me a few years back. Here is what I learned:

1 - It's not necessarily identity theft. It is most definitely fraud. Most likely, someone filed for a big refund under your SS# and name using fake documentation and some random address. They did not necessarily do anything else fraudulent with your identity.

2 - It's not about efiling. When I was hit with this I was filing a paper return by mail.

3 - Yes, you have to fill out the IRS ID theft form and send that in with your paper return.

4 - Yes, it's a good idea to check your credit reports and make sure nothing else fishy is going on.

5 - This may take awhile...

6 - If it takes *too* long, you should think about using the Taxpayer Advocate Service - think of it as hiring a middleman to sit on hold in your place.

In our case, once the initial fraud issue was cleared up, our refund ended up in some sort of big government limbo. Every call I was told "That's odd - this refund was cleared but never sent through!" After several of those calls, I got the Taxpayer Advocate on the case. In the end, there was about a three-year gap between my initial filing and the receipt of my refund.

Good luck!

 

[RE2Boys]

Thanks for all the responses. TurboTax has a page on this issue, looks like I have to file form 14039 with paper return. I may have to try to call them but yet to find the number to call.

Looks like I have a lot of work to do.

From one of the earlier IRS links:

........... contact the Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 800-908-4490. We have teams available to assist.

 

[Disappointed]

I am on hold with the IRS


800-908-4490
US IRS Identity Theft Phone Number: Customer Service

 

[Disappointed]

This happened to me a few years back. Here is what I learned:

1 - It's not necessarily identity theft. It is most definitely fraud. Most likely, someone filed for a big refund under your SS# and name using fake documentation and some random address. They did not necessarily do anything else fraudulent with your identity.

2 - It's not about efiling. When I was hit with this I was filing a paper return by mail.

3 - Yes, you have to fill out the IRS ID theft form and send that in with your paper return.

4 - Yes, it's a good idea to check your credit reports and make sure nothing else fishy is going on.

5 - This may take awhile...

6 - If it takes *too* long, you should think about using the Taxpayer Advocate Service - think of it as hiring a middleman to sit on hold in your place.

In our case, once the initial fraud issue was cleared up, our refund ended up in some sort of big government limbo. Every call I was told "That's odd - this refund was cleared but never sent through!" After several of those calls, I got the Taxpayer Advocate on the case. In the end, there was about a three-year gap between my initial filing and the receipt of my refund.

Good luck!

Thank you Glenn, three years would not be good as I have a big refund coming back to me.

How did you address the State Tax Return? My State Tax Return was also rejected because my Fed Tax was rejected?