Photo: Darwin Laganzon / Pixabay
For: Luis Diaz Updated 08 Feb 2022, 15: 50 pm EST
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) at different times has warned about the possibility that taxpayers may be victims of identity theft, which, in a large percentage, is related to unemployment benefits fraud.
Many taxpayers may think they haven’t been affected, but this tax season they will be able to find out whether or not they were victims of this recurring crime, in which thieves use stolen personal data to claim benefit amounts on behalf of others.
Through the tax form 1099-G, taxpayers will be able to know if they were affected, since this document is only sent by the agency to those who received some unemployment compensation during the year.
who received They received the notification that they must fill out the form, necessary for the tax return, but they did not receive any unemployment support, so it is practically certain that someone usurped his identity.
What to do if you are a victim of fraud
Once anomalies are detected, the taxpayer must report the situation immediately and in detail to their Employment Department local, depending on the state you are in.
In case of not knowing where to go, it is recommended that the affected person resort to the directory of the employment departments at the local level to determine which office you should attend. The defrauded party must file a report stating that they did not collect a single dollar and the government will be informed of the situation.
Once the report is made, there is a possibility that the defrauded does not receive an immediate confirmation of the status . Estimates of how long this process will take vary by location.
In addition, as part of the investigation, your local Employment Department may require a police report or affidavit as this will make a determination. Each state has different requirements and processes for investigating identity theft .
If you received a tax form 1099-G for benefits you did not receive, the state must issue you a tax form 1200 -G corrected and will update the tax record with the IRS on your behalf.
As a second step, it is recommended that victims see certified tax experts to prepare the return. The taxpayer must be clear that there is no reason to report income not received to the IRS
in the tax declaration corresponding to this season.
On the other hand, the authorities requested that those who are victims of identity theft should continue processing their tax returns, regardless of whether the identity theft investigation is ongoing.
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