Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Friday, January 16, 2015
(INDIANAPOLIS) - Identity theft criminals attempted to steal more than $88 million from Hoosier taxpayers and the state of Indiana via ID theft and fraudulent tax returns in 2014.
To protect Hoosier refunds and state revenues, the Indiana Department of Revenue initiated increased security measures. These efforts will be used again to protect Hoosiers in 2015.
Hoosiers can expect to see similar security measures during the 2015 tax season (which begins Jan. 20), including the Identity Confirmation Quiz, a two-minute quiz asking some taxpayers to verify their identities.
The extent of 2014's stopped identity theft includes:
$88 million in stolen or manufactured identity theft tax refunds stopped (out of $800 million in total requested refunds);
74,000 fraudulent returns identified (out of 2.2 million total returns requesting refunds);
3.5 percent of all tax returns were fraudulent.
In thousands of cases, the increased security features helped taxpayers from Indiana and other states realize their identities had been stolen and used to file for an Indiana tax refund.
The numbers illustrate the magnitude of tax-related identity theft. Hoosiers are reminded to be cautious when managing their and their families' personal information. As W-2 forms, bank account summaries and other tax-related documents are gathered in preparation for the upcoming tax season, taxpayers should take care in storing these documents in secure locations.
Hoosiers with questions about protecting their identities can visit the department's Stop ID Theft website at www.in.gov/dor/4794.htm for answers to frequently asked questions, identity protection tips, a video and additional resources. Hoosiers can also sign up for the Attorney General's ID Theft Protection Tool Kit at www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/2853.htm.
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