SURRY COUNTY, N.C. — The Surry County Sheriff’s Office has noticed an increase in citizen complaints involving letters from the IRS about people's social security numbers being used to file taxes related to identity theft. Below are recommendations from the IRS “Identity Theft Information for Taxpayers” for anybody who has received a letter from the IRS:
The IRS requests that victims of identity theft do the following:
- File a complaint with the FTC at identitytheft.gov.
- Contact one of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and Transunion) and place a fraud alert on your credit records.
- Close any financial or credit accounts opened by identity thieves.
- If your Social Security Number is compromised and you know or suspect you are a victim of tax-related identity theft, the IRS recommends these additional steps:
- Respond immediately to any IRS notice; call the number provided.
- Complete IRS Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit
- Continue to pay your taxes and file your tax return.
If you previously contacted the IRS and did not have a resolution, contact them for specialized assistance at 1-800-908-4490 because they have teams available to assist.
If you feel like you are a victim of a scam and/or identity theft, please do not hesitate to reach out to the sheriff’s office or to your local law enforcement agencies for guidance.
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