Tax Fraud Victim?
As of April 7th, 2008, 96 current and former graduate and professional students at UCI found themselves the victims of tax fraud, where someone used their Social Security number to file taxes and receive a refund. If you have been victimized by someone using your Social Security number to file taxes, these are the steps you should take.
1. Call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 and verify
who is using your SS#. Also, if you have a spouse and/or dependents, you
should make sure that those SS# have not also been
taken. If the SSA says that the only name listed is your own, you should
verify that the only reported wages are your own employers (i.e., UCI,
etc.).
2. Call the UCI Police Department at 824-5223 and file a report. Be sure
to get a case number.
3. Call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 and report the problem. The IRS is not
particularly helpful in this regard, simply stating that the person should
file on paper. However, it is important to report it. Give them your
police report number.
4. Call the FTC at 1-877-438-4338, or file a report online
athttp://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/consumers/filing-a-report.html.
Give them your police report number, and identify yourself as a UCI
student who is part of an investigation by the IRS.
5. Call the IRS' Taxpayer Advocate office at 1-877-777-4778. They will
work with you to file your taxes. Make sure you state that you are a
victim of tax fraud/ID theft and that you attend UCI, and give them your
police report number.
6. Contact the credit reporting services and flag your credit report.
There are three, and they claim that they will notify the other two, but
just to be sure, calling all three can't hurt. You can do an initial
90-day freeze over the phone, and they will mail you more information on
how to extend that freeze for up to 7 years.
The numbers are:
Experian: 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
Equifax: 1-888-766-0008