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The Number of Employment-Related Identity Theft Victims Is Significantly Greater Than Identified

Report Information

Date Issued
Report Number
2017-40-031
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 develop a process to notify the parents and legal guardians of dependents claimed on their tax returns when their dependents' SSNs are unlawfully used by an ITIN filer to gain employment.
Recommendation rejected by IRS

The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should correct programming as needed to ensure that the employment identity theft marker is placed on all victims' tax accounts for ITINN mismatches on e-filed tax returns.

The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should place the employment identity theft marker on the accounts of the 60,823 victims TIGTA identified in this review.

The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should place the employment identity theft marker on the accounts of the 116 victims TIGTA identified.

The Commissioner, Wage and Investment Division, should require ITIN paper tax return filers reporting wages to attach Forms W-2, Wage and Income Statement, to their tax returns.
Recommendation rejected by IRS