So far in 2018, the Idaho State Tax Commission has blocked nearly $130,000 in fraudulently filed tax refund requests.
All of the fraud cases are related to identity theft.
The dollar amount identified by the Idaho State Tax Commission is down substantially from this time last year. In 2015, the state halted a record $1.7 million in false refunds.
When someone commits tax fraud by assuming someone’s identity, they file an income tax return using that person’s information in an attempt to get a refund.
Each tax return is scanned for possible identity theft before a refund is issued, according to state tax officials.
They say part of the reason why fraud has declined is because tax preparers, software companies and government agencies have improved security for sharing sensitive information.
Copyright 2018 Boise State Public Radio
