Jean in Newcastle Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I've now e-filed my taxes a third time. It says my PIN number doesn't match my data. I've triple checked all PINs and identification. What do I do if it's rejected yet again? Has anyone else had this happen? Update: It's been confirmed as identity theft. The govt. has stopped the process of sending out the refund to the crooks (it hadn't been sent yet) so at least they didn't get away with any of the taxpayer's money in our case. I'm in the process of talking to financial institutions etc. to try and protect our assets. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunflowerlady Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Does it give an option for using the adjusted gross income from your prior year return? If I recall, you could do the pin or use that AGI amount for verification. Sorry this is happening. IRS junk can be a pain. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Are you using turbo tax? I read an article this year that there were some turbo tax accounts hacked or something along those lines? We had no problem with turbo tax thankfully. Is there a customer service number you can call? Is the caps on by mistake when you are typing? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 I just added the AGI on there in addition to the PIN. Am I supposed to do only the AGI? Yup. Turbo Tax. I sure hope it wasn't hacked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunflowerlady Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I just added the AGI on there in addition to the PIN. Am I supposed to do only the AGI? Yup. Turbo Tax. I sure hope it wasn't hacked. I think I only ever used one or the other. I have never used Turbo Tax so I am not sure of their setup or process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 If filing electronically is a problem, couldn't you just file by mail? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 If filing electronically is a problem, couldn't you just file by mail? Probably. I still have one day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Probably. I still have one day! Yes, one whole day, you are so ahead of the game, Jean! Sorry you are having trouble, though. How tense and frustrating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 Arrgh. Rejected a third time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Which is why I don't do efile and I've been using Turbo Tax for years. Print them out, do a priority mail label through usps and drop them off at the post office. Less of a hassle. Just returned from mailing my returns. So glad done for another year. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 I've called the IRS and they said that it looks like someone else filed using one of our social security numbers (hopefully by accident). They told me to print it out tonight, get dh's signature and to send it all in by actual mail tomorrow. Which I will do. I just wanted to have it done, you know? But I'm not going to worry any more about this tonight. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gil Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I've called the IRS and they said that it looks like someone else filed using one of our social security numbers (hopefully by accident). They told me to print it out tonight, get dh's signature and to send it all in by actual mail tomorrow. Which I will do. I just wanted to have it done, you know? But I'm not going to worry any more about this tonight. That sounds frustrating! At least you have some breathing space, hopefully it all works out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 First: :scared: (It's the IRS.) Second: I have no advice. (It's the IRS.) Third: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: (It's the IRS.) 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lollie010 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I just spoke to a lady today who had the same thing happen. Someone had fraudulently filed using her information. She had to send some additional paperwork to prove who she was and was assured it would be fine. I guess it's the newest refund scam. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I just added the AGI on there in addition to the PIN. Am I supposed to do only the AGI? Yup. Turbo Tax. I sure hope it wasn't hacked. Oh no. I am glad you called. I'd buy the audit protection just in case, but I'm an over-insured person in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 I just spoke to a lady today who had the same thing happen. Someone had fraudulently filed using her information. She had to send some additional paperwork to prove who she was and was assured it would be fine. I guess it's the newest refund scam. Ack! Now can this bite me? I mean, I wasn't even getting getting a refund so it's not like they'd be getting my money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Do you have any kind of credit protection? I'd keep an eye on that. Order your annual free credit reports in a few weeks or months to double check. All you can probably do now with the IRS is wait and see if they can sort it out on their end. I am guessing it was a misprinted digit and no large scale scam operation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I just added the AGI on there in addition to the PIN. Am I supposed to do only the AGI? Yup. Turbo Tax. I sure hope it wasn't hacked. It's either PIN or AGI. Do you have an IRS office near to you? My local IRS office which is about 20mins drive away would take returns over the counter, especially if there are glitches to prevent efiling. If the IRS office won't take the return, USPS is usually close by. IRS office locator http://apps.irs.gov/app/officeLocator/index.jsp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 It happened to someone I know that someone else was using her child's SSN. Her refunds were held back for 3 years until she filed further paperwork proving they were who they said they were. She eventually got it all sorted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lollie010 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I've been trying to figure that out since my conversation with her earlier today. She said it was a stolen identity thing. I had just met the lady in a hospital waiting room so I don't have any more details. She was concerned about identity theft. :( in her situation they were able to tell her pretty quickly that it wasn't a mistake or error. Hopefully, yours will turn out to be a simple error. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcat Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Ack! Now can this bite me? I mean, I wasn't even getting getting a refund so it's not like they'd be getting my money. It has been all over the internet since about mid-Feb. You mist have been blissfully unaware, unlike me, whereas I was losing sleep over it until we got our taxes filed. The fraudsters file fraudulent returns with fraudulent income/credits/refund information. It doesn't matter that *you* aren't getting a refund. They just use your info from last year to get in to your account and then make up stuff that nets them huge refunds. It is a huge mess. I completely second (Third? Fourth?) the idea of pulling credit reports on all SS numbers on your forms and/or freezing your credit. Also, as mentioned above, if you have an IRS office close by, see if you can hand file your return. From what I have read on the internet, if one of your SS numbers was, in fact, compromised and someone field fraudulently, expect at least a 6 month delay in getting anywhere, if not longer. Some people have reported several years of waiting and calling and frustration. I'm sorry you seem to be caught up in this mess. :grouphug: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcat Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I've been trying to figure that out since my conversation with her earlier today. She said it was a stolen identity thing. I had just met the lady in a hospital waiting room so I don't have any more details. She was concerned about identity theft. :( in her situation they were able to tell her pretty quickly that it wasn't a mistake or error. Hopefully, yours will turn out to be a simple error. I hope it's just an error, too. Of all the things for criminals to mess with, a person's IRS account has to be at the top of the 'worst' list. I know we were good this time, but I'm already worried about filing next year. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kewb Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Ugh, how awful. Hopefully, it won't be too much of a nightmare for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I've called the IRS and they said that it looks like someone else filed using one of our social security numbers (hopefully by accident). They told me to print it out tonight, get dh's signature and to send it all in by actual mail tomorrow. Which I will do. I just wanted to have it done, you know? But I'm not going to worry any more about this tonight. We had a similar problem where we couldn't e-file a couple of years ago. It kept rejecting the filing and we finally sent it in on paper. They accepted the everything except my existence. It seems I had died 6 years ago an no one bothered to tell me. Yep, they won't let a dead person file. Um except I wasn't dead. Hours on the phone and hours more in the social security office was required before they would take my tax return that year. I was able to e-file normally the following year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondreeuh Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 That happened to me last year. I tried to file but someone had already filed with my SSN. I had to file a fraud report through the IRS and send in copies of my license and other id. Then I had to send it a paper copy of my return. They sent me a PIN to use this year so I could file. Our credit reports didn't show any unusual accounts or activity at least. It took them many months to process my return. So this year I got a letter stating that someone had atttempted to file online for me and the system had stopped them, so my account was locked and I had to call to unlock it. They kept saying my username didn't match against the email address that I had given them (.the one that TT used for all email correspondence over the years, so I assumed it was the email I had on file with them). Finally they reset the password and I found out that the user name had been switched to my sister-in-laws! She uses an unusual name for her email account and that was the user name. TT couldn't explain it. No returns were visible in that account and they said that the email address I used was a different one anyway. So I gave up and started a new TT account. TT did give me a year of fancy credit protection for everyone in my family. Then not two weeks later I got letters from our insurance company saying their system had been hacked and thieves has access to all of our personal identity information. This is beyond ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linders Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 File a fraud report, quickly. DH's co-worker had this happen last week - his SSN had been used by someone else. We did hear that the IRS acted quickly and efficiently on the problem for co-worker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnerd Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 I heard on the local radio station that this is a scam going on - scammers using someone's SSN and filing for a tax refund and making off to foreign countries with the refund. They said to file a fraud report with the IRS quickly if it ever happens and to buy a credit protection plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted April 15, 2015 Author Share Posted April 15, 2015 OK - so why didn't the IRS guy tell me to file a fraud report? I'm going to be spending my time today on this and not anything else, I guess. Wildcat - I did hear something about it earlier from my ds17 but I wasn't aware that there was anything I could do proactively about it and still am not 100% sure I've been hacked since it does seem that there is a possibility of a benign error. OK - probably a couple of stupid questions but I just woke up and haven't finished breakfast yet: how do I get credit reports? Is there one place I can get them all at one whack? And if I freeze credit does that mean that we can't use our credit cards? We don't use debit cards because credit cards have better protections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5of5 Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Jean -- someone I know also had this problem, and his accountant said to just submit by paper, and didn't suggest doing a fraud report. So, opinions vary on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 how do I get credit reports? Is there one place I can get them all at one whack? And if I freeze credit does that mean that we can't use our credit cards?Credit reports linkhttps://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action Freezing credit just meant no new credit cards or loans. We could still use existing credit cards. FAQ from FTC.gov about credit freeze http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0497-credit-freeze-faqs ETA: If you go to the IRS office to submit your return, you could ask for a receipt which has the date & time stamp of your return. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 This happened to us a few weeks ago. Our attempt to e-file was denied because a tax return had already been filed with (one of) our SSNs. We don't use TT. We had to file a fraud form and send in taxes by mail. My biggest concern was that I wouldn't have the info certified before dd's FAFSA deadline, but the Financial Aid guy at school cleared that part of it for us. Incredibly, from what I've read on the internet, the IRS processes refunds WITHOUT matching SSNs and names. My job requires me to make this match every day. It takes seconds, and you would THINK that the IRS would have and use a simple program to make such a match, instead of waiting until after the refund is processed. Dh also filed fraud alerts with each of the credit reporting companies, just to be on the safe side. I've been a long time flat tax fan . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kim in Appalachia Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 We got notified by the IRS a few weeks back that we did get hacked. One result is that we have to mail in our return. If it's not letting to e-file, then either the IRS has put a hold on our account because of an attempted hack, or it has been hacked. Do try contacting the IRS, but also do get your return in the mail ASAP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildcat Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 OK - so why didn't the IRS guy tell me to file a fraud report? I'm going to be spending my time today on this and not anything else, I guess. Wildcat - I did hear something about it earlier from my ds17 but I wasn't aware that there was anything I could do proactively about it and still am not 100% sure I've been hacked since it does seem that there is a possibility of a benign error. OK - probably a couple of stupid questions but I just woke up and haven't finished breakfast yet: how do I get credit reports? Is there one place I can get them all at one whack? And if I freeze credit does that mean that we can't use our credit cards? We don't use debit cards because credit cards have better protections. Sadly, I don't think there is anything we can do proactively. From what I have read, you can request a PIN from the IRS be sent to your home address each year.... the PIN changes, I think, and you can only file using that PIN. The problem is that it sounds like the only people who can request such a PIN are those who have already been hacked and filed a police report. You would think anyone who can prove who they are should be able to request a PIN. The whole system is messed up. I'm glad you didn't fret when you heard about the problems, though. I really stressed about it. I would rather have been oblivious to the whole mess, honestly. :glare: I really hope it's a simple error that is causing this problem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunflowerlady Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 So when returns are processed, the IRS doesn't match up what is filed to into they received from employers and other entities? They don't verify your entries to make sure it matches the W-2 and 1099 forms and such? That is surprising that someone can enter random info and it goes through and a refund is sent. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5of5 Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 So when returns are processed, the IRS doesn't match up what is filed to into they received from employers and other entities? They don't verify your entries to make sure it matches the W-2 and 1099 forms and such? That is surprising that someone can enter random info and it goes through and a refund is sent. Yeah, this seems really odd in the age of computers everywhere. But, well, this is the government. :closedeyes: 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 This might be relevant to this discussion: Schumer alerts public to deluge of tax refund fraud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 Update: It's been confirmed as identity theft. The govt. has stopped the process of sending out the refund to the crooks (it hadn't been sent yet) so at least they didn't get away with any of the taxpayer's money in our case. I'm in the process of talking to financial institutions etc. to try and protect our assets. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Update: It's been confirmed as identity theft. The govt. has stopped the process of sending out the refund to the crooks (it hadn't been sent yet) so at least they didn't get away with any of the taxpayer's money in our case. I'm in the process of talking to financial institutions etc. to try and protect our assets. Oh how scary. Hoping it was a blessing that you discovered it now, not later, and that it's not too hard to resolve. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Yikes. I hope their hijinks are limited to taxes and stuff you can take care of and not to theft of your accounts. On the off chance the IRS didn't tell you this, you should get an IRS IP pins for future tax years. It's a PITA but it will prevent them from trying again next year with the same SS numbers. http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/Get-An-Identity-Protection-PIN 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 How does tax return fraud work? Even if they have your SSN, if they don't have your wages, withholding, etc... how do they know how much money you are supposed to be refunded? How do they fill out the return even? After all, the wages associated with that SSN have been turned into the IRS. Wouldn't it be a red flag if the number the thief puts on the return is different than that turned in by companies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 How does tax return fraud work? Even if they have your SSN, if they don't have your wages, withholding, etc... how do they know how much money you are supposed to be refunded? How do they fill out the return even? After all, the wages associated with that SSN have been turned into the IRS. Wouldn't it be a red flag if the number the thief puts on the return is different than that turned in by companies? Your income might be a different number than what is reported by your employer to the IRS. They can also try to claim additional children and such to get refundable credits. Also, identity thieves may have gained access to your employee records as they might be employed by your work's bookkeeping or payroll service or have hacked into such a service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnerd Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Update: It's been confirmed as identity theft. The govt. has stopped the process of sending out the refund to the crooks (it hadn't been sent yet) so at least they didn't get away with any of the taxpayer's money in our case. I'm in the process of talking to financial institutions etc. to try and protect our assets. This is exactly what they were talking about in the local news radio. Apparently, there have been millions of these fraud cases this year. I am sorry for the headache that you are going through - hopefully, you can hand over all the hard work to the credit protection services now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 But the number reported by the employer to the IRS has to be ON the return, right? You send that part of the W2 in with the return (or enter it in) so they need the information. And even if they know my work's bookkeeping -- what about my husband's? Though I guess they could just do it married filing separately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I'm so sorry to hear about the identity theft. Bummer, Jean! I'm praying you have a smooths resolution :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 But the number reported by the employer to the IRS has to be ON the return, right? You send that part of the W2 in with the return (or enter it in) so they need the information. And even if they know my work's bookkeeping -- what about my husband's? Though I guess they could just do it married filing separately.There's a lot of things. Some people file before the due date for employers to report. Most people work for small employers, small employers are most likely to submit their information on paper and on a later side. People often have multiple jobs and self employment income. Lots of things the IRS has to take your word on- new dependents, filing status. They can and do find people in audits but for the most part their main checking mechanism is making sure people aren't claiming the same SSNs. The law requires they try to send the refund within 30 days. One year, by accident, I omitted an income form from our taxes. It was not intentional- we had about 12 forms that year, many connected to inherited assets and small contract jobs and we were still sorting out what was what. We recieved the larger refund right away, took a Legoland vacation and put the rest in our IRAs. It was a year from that October when we got a letter from the IRS saying, hold up, you didn't include $x amount of income and you were over paid on your refund, send us a check. So nearly 18 months. Also the IRS budget was cut to the point that they can't perform all the audits and reviews they would collect money on. and the lag of government used technology can't be forgotten. http://www.cnbc.com/id/102410279 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 Oh gosh. What a hassle. I do hate spending hours on endless phone loops of various financial institutions. Is it too late for Life Lock or some other protections service? You could freeze your credit right away for a year or so unless you are planning on applying for some kind of loan during that time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 I did have a PIN. But you get your PIN by providing your social security numbers. I don't know if my PIN was different from the kind of PIN they give you if you've had identity theft. I think things were much much easier with the IRS for us because we owe money and are not trying to get a refund from them. Understandably, they are going to be a bit more suspicious of someone wanting money and less suspicious of someone telling them that they want to give them money! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 This happened to dh's boss this year too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted April 28, 2015 Author Share Posted April 28, 2015 Dh just reminded me that we are eligible for free credit monitoring due to our insurance information being hacked as well. Silver lining! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 :grouphug: Identity theft can be a long-term hassle; I'm really sorry it happened to you. :( 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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