Identity Theft flag? This might help.

Home Forums General Discussion 2015 Tax Season Identity Theft flag? This might help.

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    Patiently Waiting

      If you have tried to retrieve a copy of your IRS transcript and received the error message “We cannot process your transcript. Please contact the Identity Protection Specialized Unit (IPSU) at 800-908-4490,” you might find this post helpful. I received this message and was puzzled because I just looked at a copy of my credit report and there was nothing out of the ordinary on there. I finally called the number on 2/17 and spoke with a very nice, helpful man. He did put me on hold for a bit while he checked out what the issue was, but came back on every two minutes or so to make sure I was still there and to let me know he was still looking for answers. Finally he said the identity theft indicator was prompted by information received by a third party. I still had no idea, then it hit me. In 2013, my old employer sent out a letter to let everyone know that someone with the payroll company they used had a laptop stolen and therefore our personal information could have been stolen. THAT is the reason my return has an identity theft flag. It eased my mind quite a bit! So if you are getting an identity theft flag, it might be because, for example, you have a credit card with a company where an employee had a laptop stolen or a server was hacked. It doesn’t mean you definitely HAVE been a victim of identity theft, just that you might be at risk. I know it is hard to wait for that refund, but identity theft is such an issue now and it is nice to know that the government is taking it seriously. Hope that answers questions for some of you!

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