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Most Employment Identity Theft Victims Have Not Been Notified That Their Identities Are Being Used by Others for Employment

Report Information

Date Issued
Report Number
2018-40-016
Report Type
Audit
Joint Report
Yes
Participating OIG
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration
Agency Wide
Yes (agency-wide)
Questioned Costs
$0
Funds for Better Use
$0
View Report

Recommendations

The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should send the CP01E notice to the 458,658 repeat victims identified in PY 2017 informing them that their SSN was used by another person to obtain employment.

The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should reverse the employment identity theft marker placed on the 15,168 taxpayers' accounts and notify them that the prior notice was sent erroneously.

The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should revise ITINN mismatch programming to ensure that it does not place the employment identity theft marker on the accounts of SSN owners who are spouses of ITIN holders.

The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should identify instances, prior to Processing Year (PY) 2017, in which the ITINN mismatch process erroneously placed the employment identity theft marker on the tax accounts of SSN owners who are spouses of ITIN holders. The marker should be reversed on those accounts.