OK Tax Commission Cracking Down On Identity Fraud

The Oklahoma Tax Commission says its discovered more than 1,000 identity theft cases and it's only the beginning of tax season.

The commission is stepping up its game when it comes to identity theft.

The Oklahoma Tax Commission sent out thousands of these letters to people across the state. 
It's not a scam - so they say you should not ignore it. 

The letter explains to taxpayers that additional action is required to process their income tax returns. 

It asks the person to either go online, call, or visit a walk-in center to verify information. 

"If you get a letter from the IRS or the Oklahoma Tax Commission - never ignore it," said Paul Hood, CPA. 

The Oklahoma Tax Commission says this helps ensure you and only you will get your tax return money  - because the process of getting your refund is paused. 

"Often times those letters are actually identifying our clients have been the victim of identity theft, because they haven't even filed a return yet - a lot of them, when they get that letter," said Paul Hood.

Paul Hood is a Certified Public Accountant and says his firm saw six identity theft cases last year.  

"Most of the time identity theft comes when somebody gets your name, your social security number; they're very sophisticated," said Paul Hood. 

The Oklahoma Tax Commission says it's getting more sophisticated, too.  

It has new computer software that recognizes when there might be a problem - anything that makes the tax commission curious - and it's more thorough than in the past.

If that software spots something that raises a red flag - the taxpayer gets a letter. 

The Oklahoma Tax Commission says it's been getting a lot of phone calls about these letters, so they're encouraging people who get one to go online, instead of calling the office.