Attorney General Lisa Madigan has made theft prevention and enforcement a priority this tax season. (WJBC file photo)
By Dave Dahl/Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD – Tax time. Identity fraud. These days, they go together.
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, whose office has made identity theft prevention and enforcement a priority, says you can easily get scammed by someone using your data to file a 1040 form.
“A year or two ago, there was an organization that advertised, targeting African-American communities in Chicago,” says Madigan, “and people would go to them and get an estimate of what their refund might be.” Even if a potential client declined the services, the fly-by-night preparer would have the information and file anyway, receiving the refund for themselves.
IRS identity theft hotline: 1-800-908-4490