The state Department of Revenue soon will start processing Hoosier income tax returns. Tax season is about to begin — and so is that time of year when identity theft is most common.
Someone files a false tax return using another’s personal information — like a Social Security number — to get a tax refund from the Internal Revenue Service.
Kokomo Police Capt. Chris Smith told us the department worked several cases with the IRS during the 2013 tax season.
“In 2013, the IRS initiated 1,492 cases compared to 892 in 2012,” Smith said. “It’s growing fast.”
About 17.6 million Americans — an estimated 7% of U.S. residents 16 and older — experienced some type of ID fraud in 2014, according to the Bureau of Justice. And the Indianapolis Star reported in 2015 that 12% of Hoosier tax refunds requested were fraudulent.