While the IRS is struggling to keep up with identity thieves and tax fraudsters, when they find them they are prosecuted fully. Here is a recent story of a tax refund fraud case.
Anthony Hopkins, 40, of Wichita, Kansas pleaded guilty to using stolen identities to file false tax returns. In his plea, Hopkins admitted to collecting income tax refunds based on false tax returns.
Using the stolen identities, Hopkins prepared and filed tax returns with the knowledge that the claims were false and that he had no authority to file those returns or to collect the refunds. For his crimes, Hopkins faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Tax fraud and identity theft continue to be a major issue for the IRS and there’s no denying the agency is having a hard time staying ahead of thieves. However, don’t count the IRS out – they are on a mission to narrow the tax gap; the amount of taxes owed but not collected, currently around $450 billion. Their vigorous pursuit of tax fraud and identity theft cases has resulted in a rise of audits, criminal investigations and prosecutions. With the IRS is more laser-focused on tax compliance more than ever before, if you have tax problems, you will want experienced tax representation on your side to get the tax relief you need.
If you are an individual or small business owner who is concerned you may be audited by the IRS or state taxing authorities or are already under audit, consider purchasing a pre-paid Tax Audit Defense membership plan for just $9.99 a month. This membership ensures you have qualified tax audit specialists who understand complicated tax issues to help you resolve your audit case. Here are some of the membership benefits:
- Clients forward audit notification to the tax audit team who handle the entire process from beginning to end.
- Membership clients rarely speak with the IRS.
- All IRS paperwork and bureaucracy are handled by audit specialists.
- Help to resolve IRS problems for good.