In my current work as an estate planning attorney, I also interact with attorneys specializing in the tax field; as well as with my clients’ financial planners and accountants.
The article about identity theft and fraud came from the online magazine Fidelity Viewpoints*. There is a free magazine subscription to the magazine available through the Fidelity website. (The online magazine deals with finances, investing and personal finance.)
The Viewpoints article entitled “Don’t fall prey to financial scams” (February 22, 2017) does an excellent job of describing some of the current financial scams like “fake charities” and “ransomware” and also gives advice about how to avoid scams.
Within the article was a golden nugget about the IRS Form 14039, which assists tax payers who have been victims of identity theft; theft of their social security and fraud of their tax filing information.
The actual name of I.R.S. Form 14039 is “Identity Theft Affidavit”, and you can review the form at www.irs.gov. Two other helpful publications are: I.R.S. pub 4535 Identity Theft Prevention and Victim Assistance and Tax Preparer Guide to Identity Theft.
Note: Completion of Form 14039 does not mean that you can avoid filing your tax returns as normal. Even if you suspect that your tax filing has been impacted by identity theft – file your tax return as normal and follow up with the IRS.
You can access other articles about identity theft and fraud on my website in the Archives.
* www.Fidelity.com for more information about their online magazine - Viewpoints
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