Latest Fraud, Waste and Abuse Articles
CFEG researches and reports on fraud, waste and abuse within the federal government with the goal of educating the public, the Congress and preventing and eliminating it through legislative and program initiatives.
What is the Identity Theft Tax Refund Fraud Problem?
In general, tax-related identity theft occurs when an individual intentionally uses the Social Security number (SSN) of another person to file a false tax return with the intention of obtaining an unauthorized refund. Identity theft wreaks havoc on our tax system in many ways. Victims of identity theft not only must deal with the aftermath of an emotionally draining crime, but may also have to deal with the IRS for years to untangle the resulting tax account problems. Identity theft also impacts the public fisc, as Treasury funds are diverted to pay out improper refunds claimed by opportunistic perpetrators. In addition, identity theft takes a significant toll on the IRS, tying up limited resources that it could otherwise shift to taxpayer service or compliance initiatives
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Committee For Efficient Government reports that the House Ways and Means Committee held an Oversight Hearing on Identity Theft Tax Refund Fraud and cyber security issues on Tuesday, April 19, 2016 at 10:00 a.m….