If your identity is stolen, your finances can quickly become a nightmare. A less obvious problem is the effect identity theft can have on your taxes.
Identity Theft
Generally, thieves steal your personal data for the purpose of running up credit card charges or opening and abusing new accounts. A developing trend in the identity theft field concerns schemes impacting your taxes.
Selling Social Security Numbers
Identity thieves have created a new line of business ? selling your social security number. Who would want to buy it? The list is surprising long, but undocumented workers, individuals with bad credit and people trying to obtain a new identity lead the list. This can create a huge problem for you since any income paid to those individuals is reported to the IRS as being paid to you. This results in the IRS having inflated income numbers and, often, audits when you "under report" your income.
With the creation of the Real ID Act, better known as the National ID Card, things will only get worse. Under the Act, all workers will be required to submit social security numbers to obtain jobs. With our leaky borders, there will be a high demand for your social security number.
False Tax Filings
It doesn't take much to file a tax return. What's to stop an identity thief from filing one under your name to generate a refund? Nothing. To generate the maximum refund, you can be all kinds of frivolous deductions will be claimed. After all, it will be you that has to attend the audit.
What Can I Do?
If you receive a notice from the IRS that leads you to believe someone may have used your Social Security Number fraudulently, you should notify the IRS immediately. Indicators can be found in notices from the IRS that state:
1. More than one tax return for you was filed, or
2. IRS records indicate you received wages from an employer unknown to you.
Don't hesitate or be nervous about contacting the IRS. The agency knows this is a growing problem and not an "opportunity" to pound on taxpayers.
Richard Chapo is CEO of http://www.businesstaxrecovery.com - Obtaining tax refunds for small businesses by finding overlooked tax deductions and credits through a free tax return review.
elite cleaning services Mundelein ..As we enter mid-March, taxpayers begin to become very interested... Read More
According to the IRS, taxpayers underpay their taxes by some... Read More
Statistics for IndividualsUnfortunately, the IRS increased its rate of auditing... Read More
It's a moment every person dreads. You pick up the... Read More
Beware of advertisements that claim to settle tax debts for... Read More
Many Americans believe that an IRS debt is a debt... Read More
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, also called the Public Company Accounting Reform... Read More
With the massive losses caused by Katrina, the economy of... Read More
Employers often ask employees to designate the amount of tax... Read More
Practically every small business has receivables that it cannot obtain... Read More
If you paid someone to care for a child so... Read More
IRS Tax forms can be confusing.Am I a 1099 or... Read More
Donating your used car to charity is a win-win situation;... Read More
Excerpted from the new book, "How to Do Space Age... Read More
Following is a reproduction of the IRS's rules and requirements... Read More
How about a Tax Tip?As we all know Taxes are... Read More
Most people trying to make a crust online (or offline... Read More
The federal tax code is complex. This complexity generally arises... Read More
One way to maximize your business profits is by reducing... Read More
A Federal Tax Lien (FTL) is a legal instrument that... Read More
How Home-Based Businesses Can Avoid Giving Uncle Sam... Read More
Each year, the IRS lists various scams taxpayers get caught... Read More
If you have employees, you are responsible for paying a... Read More
Anyone who is closely related to an accountant knows that... Read More
As everyone in the U.S. knows, we have just passed... Read More
Airbnb cleaning service Mundelein ..As everyone in the U.S. knows, we have just passed... Read More
Should I take wages or dividends from my privately owned... Read More
Once a year Canadian taxpayers are required, by law, to... Read More
The Internal Revenue Service is reporting that the difference between... Read More
Let's assume that you would like to begin saving for... Read More
In the rush to get tax returns prepared and filed... Read More
Choosing the right tax preparer for your business is a... Read More
The 100 year old investment-banking firm of... Read More
Employers often ask employees to designate the amount of tax... Read More
Recently, I stumbled across a concept that could change your... Read More
You're at your office, or home, and the doorbell rings... Read More
As a small business owner, it's wise to familiarize yourself... Read More
For many business owners the answer to this quandary is... Read More
The Internal Revenue Service has certified the 2006 Toyota Highlander... Read More
Someone once said, 'the best way to calculate your taxes... Read More
It may not be high on the list of wedding... Read More
Are you in the middle of a disagreement with the... Read More
Six Urban Myths ? Taxation"I am proud to be paying... Read More
Yes, the tax season is upon with the first filing... Read More
Marketing is a necessary expense in running practically any business... Read More
How about a Tax Tip?As we all know Taxes are... Read More
When buying a business, how the "purchase price" is made... Read More
If your identity is stolen, your finances can quickly become... Read More
Does this scene sound familiar? It's April 7. You haven't... Read More
According to the IRS, taxpayers underpay their taxes by some... Read More
Tax |