The Florida Center for Investigative Reporting (FCIR) has an article spotlighting tax return fraud. That in itself isn’t surprising given that Florida is the hotbed for this crime. What is depressing is how easy it is to commit the crime. While the Social Security Death List is no longer available for the fraudsters, FCIR reports that they turned to a commercial service called findmypast.com. The site is designed for finding your ancestors, but enterprising crooks discovered it could be used to commit tax fraud.
My guess is that old records contain social security numbers–the numbers weren’t as big a deal in the pre-Internet era–and they just find people in that manner. Sure, they are undoubtedly violating the Terms & Conditions of the website but if you’re going to commit a felony (or several), what’s the big deal about violating some T&C’s?
Meanwhile, two press releases from the East Bay (near San Francisco) highlight the magnitude of this problem. Ebony Standifer conspired to obtain false identities and used them to obtain $193,602 in false refunds. She pleaded guilty this week to one count of conspiracy to file false claims and one count of aggravated identity theft. Three other East Bay residents pleaded guilty to conspiracy to file false claims in what appears to be a separate tax fraud scheme. These individuals received $287,498 in false refunds.
Until the IRS makes it far more difficult for the fraudsters, this epidemic will continue. As I’ve said, why rob banks?
Tags: IdentityTheft
[…] Fox, How to Commit Tax Fraud 101. “Until the IRS makes it far more difficult for the fraudsters, this epidemic will continue. […]