Tax Identity Theft Victims Can Request Copies of Fraudulent Returns

If you were a victim of tax identity theft, you likely had to mail a signed paper copy of your tax return for the year(s) affected along with Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit).  You may also have reported your identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission and placed a fraud alert with the three major credit bureaus.  While you were able to take measures to detect and prevent future fraud using your identity, you were never allowed to see a copy of the fraudulent tax return that was filed using your identity to determine exactly what information was compromised, until now.  The IRS has begun allowing victims of identity theft to request redacted copies of the fraudulent tax returns that were filed at the request of U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte.  In a letter dated 5/17/2015 to IRS Commissioner Koskinen, Senator Ayotte wrote that it was “deeply troubling that the IRS does not help victims by providing them with copies of the fraudulent returns so they can determine what information was stolen.”  As a result, the IRS posted detailed instructions on their website on how you can request copies of fraudulent tax returns.