Tax Law and News What your clients should do if they get an identity theft letter from the IRS Read the Article Open Share Drawer Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) Written by Intuit Accountants Team Modified May 23, 2022 1 min read Tax pros can help their clients understand issues concerning fraud and security, especially when it involves ID theft. When a thief steals someone’s Social Security number, they can use it to file a fraudulent tax return. This is tax-related identity theft. The IRS scans tax returns for possible fraud, so if a return is flagged as suspicious, the agency will pull it for more review. Then, the IRS will send the taxpayer a letter notifying them of potential ID theft. The suspicious tax return won’t be processed until the taxpayer responds to the letter. Here are the identity fraud letters the IRS may send to taxpayers—for you to share with your clients: Letter 5071C, Potential Identity Theft during Original Processing with Online Option. This letter asks the taxpayer to use an online tool to verify their identity and tell the IRS if they filed that return. Letter 4883C, Potential Identity Theft during Original Processing. This letter asks the taxpayer to call the IRS to verify their identity, and tell the IRS if they filed that return. Letter 5747C, Potential Identity Theft during Original Processing – TAC AUTH ONLY. The IRS sends this letter to people who have been a victim of a data breach. This letter may ask the taxpayer to verify their identity in person at a Taxpayer Assistance Center. Taxpayers should follow the steps in the letter exactly. If the IRS sends a taxpayer an identity theft letter, the taxpayer should follow the steps in the letter. That will provide all the information that the IRS needs. There is no need for the taxpayer to file Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit. Previous Post What to tell clients about amended returns Next Post The adoption tax credit for families with children: tax year… Written by Intuit Accountants Team The Intuit® Accountants team provides ProConnect™ Tax, Lacerte® Tax, ProSeries® Tax, and add-on software and services to enable workflow for its customers. Visit us at https://proconnect.intuit.com, or follow us on Twitter @IntuitAccts. More from Intuit Accountants Team Comments are closed. Browse Related Articles Client Relationships Help Your Clients Handle Identity Theft Tax Law and News Regulatory Bodies Continue Protecting Taxpayer From Ide… Practice Management How the IRS protects taxpayers from tax-related identit… Tax Law and News Above the Forms: Expanded Security for Tax Professional… Tax Law and News IRS, States and Tax Industry Combat ID Theft and Refund… Tax Law and News IRS Offers Tax Preparers Tips Following a Data Theft Tax Law and News IRS Falling Down on the Job of Helping ID Theft Victims Client Relationships Above the Forms: Preventing Tax-Related Identity Theft Tax Law and News IRS National Tax Security Week Concludes With Strong Me… Tax Law and News IRS, States and Tax Industry Urge Taxpayers to Join the…