Delaware News

State of Delaware experiences fraudulent tax-filing attempts

Division of Revenue | News | Date Posted: Friday, February 6, 2015



Statewide – Division of Revenue Director Patrick Carter has announced today that the Delaware Division of Revenue has experienced several attempts by unknown persons to file fraudulent income tax returns for the 2014 filing season using stolen identities. The fraudulent filing attempts have originated from data that was compromised through a third-party commercial tax-preparation software database. All information in Delaware’s tax database remains secure and at no point was Delaware’s online filing system compromised.

To date, 19 states – including Delaware – have reported receiving fraudulent filing attempts through the same third-party software. Delaware is also flagging a number of returns as “potentially fraudulent” based on criteria found on the fraudulent returns. Any Delaware taxpayer who filed state income tax returns electronically for 2014 or years prior through a third-party software may be affected. The Division of Revenue is working to identify victims and will alert them individually of any potential fraud and/ or identity theft.

“Protecting the personal information of Delaware taxpayers is our greatest priority right now,” Carter said. “As soon as our internal controls alerted us to the increase in fraudulent attempts, we implemented a number of safeguards to lessen any potential fraud from these return filings. We are confident that we are taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety of our taxpayers.”

Due to the new safeguards, some taxpayers may experience a delay in receiving their State of Delaware refund. The Division of Revenue is working to ensure all taxpayers receive their proper refund as promptly as possible, said Carter.

Members of the public who believe they have been victims of Delaware Income Tax fraud or who have questions about suspicious activity are urged to call 302-577-8200. Taxpayers may also verify the current status of their state income tax return by going to http://revenue.delaware.gov.

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Media Contact:
Angela Moffett-Batty
Delaware Department of Finance
angela.moffett-batty@delaware.gov
Phone: (302) 577-8522

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State of Delaware experiences fraudulent tax-filing attempts

Division of Revenue | News | Date Posted: Friday, February 6, 2015



Statewide – Division of Revenue Director Patrick Carter has announced today that the Delaware Division of Revenue has experienced several attempts by unknown persons to file fraudulent income tax returns for the 2014 filing season using stolen identities. The fraudulent filing attempts have originated from data that was compromised through a third-party commercial tax-preparation software database. All information in Delaware’s tax database remains secure and at no point was Delaware’s online filing system compromised.

To date, 19 states – including Delaware – have reported receiving fraudulent filing attempts through the same third-party software. Delaware is also flagging a number of returns as “potentially fraudulent” based on criteria found on the fraudulent returns. Any Delaware taxpayer who filed state income tax returns electronically for 2014 or years prior through a third-party software may be affected. The Division of Revenue is working to identify victims and will alert them individually of any potential fraud and/ or identity theft.

“Protecting the personal information of Delaware taxpayers is our greatest priority right now,” Carter said. “As soon as our internal controls alerted us to the increase in fraudulent attempts, we implemented a number of safeguards to lessen any potential fraud from these return filings. We are confident that we are taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety of our taxpayers.”

Due to the new safeguards, some taxpayers may experience a delay in receiving their State of Delaware refund. The Division of Revenue is working to ensure all taxpayers receive their proper refund as promptly as possible, said Carter.

Members of the public who believe they have been victims of Delaware Income Tax fraud or who have questions about suspicious activity are urged to call 302-577-8200. Taxpayers may also verify the current status of their state income tax return by going to http://revenue.delaware.gov.

###

Media Contact:
Angela Moffett-Batty
Delaware Department of Finance
angela.moffett-batty@delaware.gov
Phone: (302) 577-8522

image_printPrint


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.