She would not say if they were filed through TurboTax. ![]() She said Pennsylvania has identified “a handful” of fraudulent filings, but it’s too early in the tax season to determine if there are more than usual. “We’re not focusing on any one Internet preparer or software provider,” Brassell told me, noting that identity thieves who try to manipulate the tax system switch targets quickly. 10 so it could update its fraud-detection criteria, said Elizabeth Brassell, spokeswoman for the state Department of Revenue. Pennsylvania stopped paying refunds by direct deposit between Feb. Other states, including Pennsylvania, temporarily stopped processing some refunds, though some officials were cautious in their public statements not to single out TurboTax as the sole reason. Minnesota temporarily stopped accepting returns filed through TurboTax. ![]() 6 statement on its website that a preliminary investigation found no evidence of a data breach and it believes the information used to file phony returns in its customers’ names “was obtained from other sources outside the tax preparation process.” Intuit did not return my call or respond to my email. VanCuren believes his login could have been stolen from TurboTax. The Wall Street Journal reported last week the FBI is investigating whether a computer data breach led to the filing of false tax returns through TurboTax. Intuit said it and some states had “seen an increase in suspicious filings and attempts by criminals to use stolen identity information to file fraudulent state tax returns and claim tax refunds.” of California, temporarily halted the electronic filing of state tax returns for about a day this month in response, though it did not interrupt federal filings. The company that makes the software, Intuit Inc. ![]() He said he’s found other people complaining on Facebook. Other users have told the Wall Street Journal stories similar to what VanCuren told me. What’s new this tax season is that TurboTax seems to be used more to commit that crime. Crooks get away with billions of dollars every year by tricking the IRS into paying them illegitimate refunds based on phony returns filed in other people’s names.
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