Somebody claimed all 4 of my kids already !!

[squirrlygirl]

And this is budget/Disney related because that money was going to finance our Disney trip at the end of March.

I tried to file my taxes with turbotax the other night and they were rejected. At first I thought my ex had claimed my oldest even though it wasn't his year. I tried to remove him from the return so I could get the rest of my money, with the intention of filing an amendment later. BUT, every single one of my children (4) had the notice that their social security number had already been used.

I just got off the phone with the IRS, and they gave me the number to the FTC identity theft line, as 3 of these kids are with my husband and there's no way anyone else could claim them. I'll have to file by mail. One person told me they would send me any refund due me minus the "errors" (which actually means I owe about $2000 in taxes), and another said they would send the entire refund and then start proceedings with an auditor after tax season was over.

What worries me is that earlier this year my personal info was used over the internet to start a ton of different subscriptions, with some of them charged to my phone bill. A detective is already working on that.

So I'm canceling my trip as I have no idea what's going on or when I'll actually see the money. We'll get to go later this year, but in the meantime, who the heck claimed the kids??!??

 

[lisaross]

Wow, thats pretty scary...hope it gets resolved real soon!

lisa

 

[mlynn]

And this is budget/Disney related because that money was going to finance our Disney trip at the end of March.

I tried to file my taxes with turbotax the other night and they were rejected. At first I thought my ex had claimed my oldest even though it wasn't his year. I tried to remove him from the return so I could get the rest of my money, with the intention of filing an amendment later. BUT, every single one of my children (4) had the notice that their social security number had already been used.

I just got off the phone with the IRS, and they gave me the number to the FTC identity theft line, as 3 of these kids are with my husband and there's no way anyone else could claim them. I'll have to file by mail. One person told me they would send me any refund due me minus the "errors" (which actually means I owe about $2000 in taxes), and another said they would send the entire refund and then start proceedings with an auditor after tax season was over.

What worries me is that earlier this year my personal info was used over the internet to start a ton of different subscriptions, with some of them charged to my phone bill. A detective is already working on that.

So I'm canceling my trip as I have no idea what's going on or when I'll actually see the money. We'll get to go later this year, but in the meantime, who the heck claimed the kids??!??

I would call the detective and let him know all this too. Maybe he can get the address of who used them.

 

[nd5056]

...
What worries me is that earlier this year my personal info was used over the internet to start a ton of different subscriptions, with some of them charged to my phone bill. A detective is already working on that.
...

It should. It's one of the first steps to steel your identity. Since they claimed your kids on the return, they already have. I’d contact your Credit Cards as well as credit reporting agencies, they get the first inquiries to check your credit score when someone wants to open new credit somewhere. Don't waste any time.

Later on, someone could be opening credit cards or any other credits in your name but at different address for that matter. Sometime after stuff like that they’ll contact the post office and redirect the mails to a different address, helps them receive those credit cards and bills.

I don’t want to scare you, but be very careful. Canceling the trip was the smart thing to do.

Good luck.

.

 

[squirrlygirl]

I just talked to the detective. IRS fraud is not in their jurisdiction (the IRS must look into it), and he said "good luck". If I find the SS#'s were used anywhere else then he can look into it.

 

[nd5056]

They just investigate something already done. Investigators will NOT protect you from future fraud.

And right now I wouldn’t worry about the return as much as of the possibility of someone racking up some credit charges. Even if nothing happens I’d make a lots of call like I did mention earlier.

You should visit this site:

http://www.identitytheftactionplan.com/

.

 

[nd5056]

FYI

WHAT DO I DO?

While there are no guarantees about avoiding identity theft, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk and minimize the damage if a problem occurs.

* Contact one of the three credit reporting agencies and ask for a fraud alert to be placed on your credit report. You only need to call one agency; it will automatically notify the other two agencies.

http://www.equifax.com 1-800-525-6285

http://www.experian.com 1-888 397-3742

http://www.tuc.com 1-800-680-7289

* If you have discovered that someone fraudulently opened new accounts in your name, contact the financial institution that opened them and cancel them. If you don't know how to reach the financial institution, the credit bureaus should be able to provide that information to you.

* File a report with your local police department.

* Contact all of the financial institutions that issue your bank cards, credit cards and checking/savings accounts to ensure that there are no fraudulent charges on your accounts. Ask them to send you their company's fraud dispute form, which you will need to fill out, even if you speak to someone on the phone. You will also need to provide them with a copy of your police report.

* If your driver's license or state-issued identification card is missing, contact PennDOT at 1-800-932-4600 and also fill out a Misuse Form by going to: http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/identity_theft/dl_fraud.shtml

* If your Passport is missing, contact the United States Department of State at 1-202-955-0430 or go to:http://travel.state.gov/passport/lost/us/us_848.html

* If your Social Security card is missing, contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 or online at http://www.ssa.gov

* If your medical/insurance cards are missing, contact your health insurance company.

* File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, which tracks incidents of identity theft. 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338). Also, complete an ID Theft Affidavit at http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft

* For crimes involving your mail, contact your local post office. The number can be found by going to http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/ifvictim.htm or looking in the blue pages of your phone book under "United States Government, Postal Service."

AS YOU CONTACT EACH OF THESE INSTITUTIONS, KEEP A RECORD OF ALL CONVERSATIONS, INCLUDING THE DATE YOU CALLED, THE NAME OF THE PERSON YOU SPOKE WITH, AND THE OUTCOME OF THE CONVERSATION.

Top of Page



WHAT DO I DO ABOUT CRIMINAL RECORDS MADE IN MY NAME?

Contact the arresting or citing law enforcement agency (i.e., the police or sheriff’s department that originally arrested the person using your identity, or the court agency that issued the warrant for the arrest). You’ll need to file an impersonation report to confirm your identity and the police department may take a full set of your fingerprints, your photograph, and copies of any photo identification documents you have including your driver’s license, passport, and Visa.

The law enforcement agency should then recall any warrants and issue a “clearance letter” or certificate of release if you were arrested/booked. Keep this document with you at all times in case you’re wrongly arrested. Also, ask the law enforcement agency to file the record of the follow-up investigation establishing your innocence with the district attorney’s office and the court where the crime took place. Ask that the “key name” or “primary name” be changed from your name to the imposter’s name and that your name is noted only as an alias.

Top of Page



WHAT IS A FRAUD ALERT?

There are two types of fraud alerts: an initial alert, and an extended alert.

* An initial alert stays on your credit report for at least 90 days. You may ask that an initial fraud alert be placed on your credit report if you suspect you have been, or are about to be, a victim of identity theft. An initial alert is appropriate if your wallet has been stolen or if you've been taken in by a "phishing" scam. When you place an initial fraud alert on your credit report, you're entitled to one free credit report from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies.

In addition, the consumer reporting companies will remove your name from marketing lists for pre-screened credit offers for five years unless you ask them to put your name back on the list before then.

To place either of these alerts on your credit report, or to have them removed, you will be required to provide appropriate proof of your identity: that may include your Social Security number, name, address and other personal information requested by the consumer reporting company.

When a business sees the alert on your credit report, they must verify your identity before issuing you credit. As part of this verification process, the business may try to contact you directly. This may cause some delays if you're trying to obtain credit. To compensate for possible delays, you may wish to include a cell phone number, where you can be reached easily, in your alert. Remember to keep all contact information in your alert current.

 

[happily single]

Are you sure your ex didn't claim them? This happened to me a few years ago when the deadbeat was actually around.

Seeing how someone knew ALL of your kids SS#'s, as opposed to getting lucky and matching the name and # of one of them I suspect it's someone very close to you.

Good luck

 

[nd5056]

Are you sure your ex didn't claim them? This happened to me a few years ago when the deadbeat was actually around.

Seeing how someone knew ALL of your kids SS#'s, as opposed to getting lucky and matching the name and # of one of them I suspect it's someone very close to you.

Good luck

And how about this:

...What worries me is that earlier this year my personal info was used over the internet to start a ton of different subscriptions, with some of them charged to my phone bill....

Subscription may be used to verify current residency address if no other proof is available…

.

 

[Chicago526]

And you need to put a fraud aleart on your kids ss#'s too! People will use children's numbers to open accounts because it can take years, if not decades, for the fraud to be discovered by the parents, or the kid themselves when they go to apply for college or car loans!

 

[mombare]

And you need to put a fraud aleart on your kids ss#'s too! People will use children's numbers to open accounts because it can take years, if not decades, for the fraud to be discovered by the parents, or the kid themselves when they go to apply for college or car loans!

This was my exact thought also!! Make sure you protect their identities also! Good luck - I have heard this can be a long, hard battle, so be sure to get as much support as possible!

 

[MissMichelle]

I am so sorry you are going through this. I would definitely mention it to the detective. Someone has all of your info including all of your kids SS #'s and that is pretty extreme, which means the theft that could happen could only get worse ---as others said with credit and your personal banking info and more.
I hope you can get this resolved soon!

 

[tipsytrtle]

so sorry to hear this happened to you....hope it all works out well

 

[Floridagal23]

OP-
You need to see if you have a low income taxpayer clinic (LITC) nearby - it will be at a local law school, or at least one in your state - or get a tax atty involved. When I was in law school and worked in our LITC, we had a ton of people with identity theft problems (mostly other people using their SS to report income, getting the salary and not paying any tax on it) and also claiming kids that weren't their own.

Your other option is to contact the IRS Taxpayer Advocate office ASAP yourself - usually they will work with you - and get it started. I worked on an ID theft case that was already spanning multiple years so I do not need to tell you how urgent it is you start on it asap.

 

[DisneyDreams4P&B]

We actually went throuh something similar (minus the identity fraud part) but my husband's ex girlfriend claimed their child, when she had given up all rights to do so. We sent in copies of our paperwork, and while we could not file electronically, we sent in the paper filing, but they figured out who belonged to whom, rather quickly and we got our refund back within a few weeks. I would get the form ( I believe you can get it off of the SS website) that is a legal document that your ex can sign and it states which years are his. Copy it many times and send it in with your taxes.

Hope it all turns out okay

 

[Cheshire Figment]

You might want to go to the nearest major city (probably Detroit) and go directly to the IRS Office and tell them you need to talk to a Special Agent. These are the people who handle criminal activity.

 

[squirrlygirl]

OK, to clear things up. First, ONLY my oldest belongs to my ex. My ex does not have information on the other three (unless he obtained it illegally the same way any other person might have) My other three children are with my current husband, and he assures me that since he hasn't even fixed the broken towel bar yet (going on a month now) what would make me think he would file a tax return?

Second, I already have fraud alerts at all three credit reporting agencies and reported it to the FTC from MY stuff earlier this year. I will call on my kids, but the detective did say that there may not be a credit report to put a fraud alert on because they're so young. Oh, and the magazines (weirdly) came to me at my current address. I still haven't figured that one out!

Also, I spoke with the taxpayer advocate in Detroit, who then transferred me to a tax attorney with the IRS. Because only one person has claimed my children as of right now, there's nothing they can do. Until I file and prove that I have the right to claim my children, the other person will not get in trouble (unless they get audited). Even then, they have the right to amend their return and avoid penalties and I may never know who did it. If the person does not change their return, THEN it will become an investigation, but she said it will take about 6 months.

In the meantime the detective is still looking into my case from earlier--the out of state internet provider says it actually isn't their IP address (rerouted?) and so he hasn't figured out yet where the activity occurred.

 

[bumbershoot]

"the detective did say that there may not be a credit report to put a fraud alert on because they're so young."

If someone is using their SSNs to start accounts, there will be. Set up the fraud alert on the kids...

 

[DisneyMomOK]

OK, to clear things up. First, ONLY my oldest belongs to my ex. My ex does not have information on the other three (unless he obtained it illegally the same way any other person might have) My other three children are with my current husband, and he assures me that since he hasn't even fixed the broken towel bar yet (going on a month now) what would make me think he would file a tax return?

Second, I already have fraud alerts at all three credit reporting agencies and reported it to the FTC from MY stuff earlier this year. I will call on my kids, but the detective did say that there may not be a credit report to put a fraud alert on because they're so young. Oh, and the magazines (weirdly) came to me at my current address. I still haven't figured that one out!

Also, I spoke with the taxpayer advocate in Detroit, who then transferred me to a tax attorney with the IRS. Because only one person has claimed my children as of right now, there's nothing they can do. Until I file and prove that I have the right to claim my children, the other person will not get in trouble (unless they get audited). Even then, they have the right to amend their return and avoid penalties and I may never know who did it. If the person does not change their return, THEN it will become an investigation, but she said it will take about 6 months.

In the meantime the detective is still looking into my case from earlier--the out of state internet provider says it actually isn't their IP address (rerouted?) and so he hasn't figured out yet where the activity occurred.

First, my sympathy over this horrid situation; I hope it is corrected soon.

Second, I agree with the PP who said to go in person to the IRS office. It is a pain, but that face-to-face contact is important. Any IRS office of any size has a fraud group to deal with problems, such as these. I would think your children's birth certificate with you listed as the parent would preclude anyone else from claiming these children without court documents that prove otherwise, especially with you in possession of their SS cards. With these items in hand, I would insist they take care of the problem now, not six months from now. Unfortunately, there are Service agents that will work to get the problem solved now and there are others that do not and being in person at the office will help you find the former and not get stuck with the latter.

 

[RitaE]

Because only one person has claimed my children as of right now, there's nothing they can do. Until I file and prove that I have the right to claim my children, the other person will not get in trouble (unless they get audited). Even then, they have the right to amend their return and avoid penalties and I may never know who did it. If the person does not change their return, THEN it will become an investigation, but she said it will take about 6 months.

don't you just LOVE the IRS?