Jan. 25, 2017
HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives today unanimously adopted a resolution authored by Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Lehigh/Berks) recognizing Jan. 30 through Feb. 3 as Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week in Pennsylvania.
“Tax identity theft is a growing crime all across the United States and residents in Pennsylvania are not immune,” said Mackenzie. “Personal information, often obtained through old tax returns, can be used to file current fraudulent tax returns in someone else’s name in order to receive a tax refund.”
According to the Federal Trade Commission, tax refund fraud is the largest and fastest-growing identity theft category.
Mackenzie noted that although residents in their 20s are at the highest risk for tax identity theft victimization, anyone at any age can be targeted. The best way to safeguard a person’s identity is to properly dispose of any documents that contain personal and identifying information by shredding bank and credit card statements, as well as old tax returns. In addition, individuals should use firewall and anti-virus software on devices, create strong passwords on websites, and refrain from opening emails from unknown senders.
The Internal Revenue Service has reported that more than 300,000 American taxpayers had their tax return details stolen as a result of a 2015 security breach.
In addition, approximately 5,000 victims have paid more than $28.5 million to scammers who pose as IRS agents, according to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
“No one should ever provide personal information, or give money, to anyone or to any organization, without verifying they are legitimate,” said Mackenzie. “Most people are intimidated by the prospect of possibly owing money to the government, so they quickly want to comply when someone calls or emails them about a potential problem. However, the IRS will never call and demand payment using a specific method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will first mail someone a bill if taxes are owed.”
Individuals may report instances of IRS-related phishing attempts and fraud to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484.
Representative Ryan Mackenzie
134th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Tricia Lehman
717.772.9840
tlehman@pahousegop.com
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