Thieves are getting smarter and smarter these days, scheming up new ways to rip you off. One new scheme includes taking your tax information and filing the returns without your knowledge.
“I have a new wife and my wife has a new wife, “Joe, a Portland resident tells KATU. Scammers used Joe’s information to file a $9,000 tax return by using his personal information but altering the information to maximize the return.
Luckily for Joe these scammers goofed some bank account information. If they had they entered their information correctly Joe would have never received the $9,000 check or found out the scammers had filed an $8,000 tax return for his wife.
Joe says a security breach at his church put all of his personal information, including social security numbers into the hands of the crooks. Joe and his wife had once applied to become volunteers for their church and provided all of their personal information for a background check.
Joe has since been in touch with the IRS, sorting out the return. KATU reports Joe and his family have signed up for credit monitoring.
