The Better Business Bureau in Southeast Texas, in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District Court of Texas, has issued an alert regarding a Southeast Texas tax scam.  Recently, the Port Arthur Police Department, Chambers County Sheriff’s Office, BBB, and U.S. Attorney’s Office have received numerous complaints regarding an alleged fraudulent tax return/identity theft scheme being perpetrated in Southeast Texas.  Individuals are reportedly being asked to provide their personal information (including their name, date of birth, social security number, and banking information) under the pretense of obtaining a government-issued stimulus payment.  Citizens should be warned that no such government stimulus program exists and is an apparent scheme to obtain people’s personal and financial information.  The Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) has warned that schemes such as this are commonly used to file tax returns on the victim’s behalf, which claim fraudulent tax refunds.

On Monday, September 10, 2012, the Port Arthur Police Department and the BBB hosted a Public Forum at the Bowers Civic Center.  The meeting was for residents on Social Security Disability that may have been recently affected by income tax return identity theft in Southeast Texas.  Officials were available to provide important information on the steps to take if you have been affected by this form of identity theft.

Protect your personal information

Southeast Texas residents are cautioned to protect their personal and financial information from anyone offering free government stimulus money, or who is otherwise making any promise, which simply sounds too good to be true.  Before disclosing any personal information, citizens are encouraged to contact the Better Business Bureau of Southeast Texas at (409) 835-5348 or (855) BBB-SETX to verify that they are dealing with a legitimate and reputable tax or financial advisor.

What to do if you may be a victim

If you believe your personal and financial data have been compromised through a scheme such as this, do not panic.  You should protect yourself by taking the following steps:

• If your bank account, credit card, or debit card information has been compromised, you should contact your bank or financial institution as soon as possible so they can take the appropriate protective measures.
• If money was subsequently deposited into your account by the U.S. Treasury Department, do not spend it.  If the money was deposited based upon a fraudulent tax return then it must be returned to the IRS.
• If a tax return was filed on your behalf without your knowledge, you should complete IRS Form 14039 and follow the instructions on how to submit it to the IRS.  This form is available online at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-access/f14039_accessible.pdf (To find out if a tax return has been filed on your behalf, contact the IRS at 1-800-829-4477.)  These forms are also available at the BBB office at 550 Fannin, Suite 100, Beaumont, TX. 77701
• Consider checking your credit history with the following credit bureaus to see if there are any recent fraudulent entries.

      Credit Bureaus

Equifax �www.equifax.com 1-800-525-6285

Experian �www.experian.com 1-888-397-3742

TransUnion �www.transunion.com 1-800-680-7289

For further assistance with this process, please contact the BBB office at: (409) 835-5348 or (855) BBB-SETX.