An identity thief may use your Social Security number (SSN) to get a tax refund or a job This is tax-related identity theft You may not know it has happened until

bull The IRS sends you a letter by mail saying they have gotten a suspicious tax return that uses your SSN or

bull You try to e-file your return but itrsquos rejected as a duplicate because a return already has been filed using your SSN

If the IRS sends you a letter follow the instructions in the letter Then visit IdentityTheftgov to report the identity theft to both the IRS and the FTC and get a recovery plan

Tax-Related Identity Theft

February 2020

If someone uses your SSN to file for a tax refund before you do herersquos what happens When you file your return IRS records will show that someone else has already filed and gotten a refund If you file by mail the IRS will send you a notice or letter in the mail saying that more than one return was filed for you If you try to e-file the IRS will reject your tax return as a duplicate filing

If someone uses your SSN to get a job the employer may report that personrsquos income to the IRS using your SSN When you file your tax return you wouldnrsquot have included those earnings IRS records will show you failed to report all your income The agency will send you a notice saying you had wages that you didnrsquot report But the IRS doesnrsquot know those wages were reported by an employer you donrsquot know for work performed by someone else

IRS notices about tax-related identity theft are sent by mail The IRS doesnrsquot initiate contact with a taxpayer by sending an email text or social media message that asks for personal or financial information The IRS also does not call taxpayers with threats of lawsuits or arrests And the IRS will never ask you to wire money pay with a gift card or prepaid debit card or share your credit card information over the phone

If you get an email text or other electronic message that claims to be from the IRS do not reply or click on any links Instead forward it to phishingirsgov And report IRS imposters to the US Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at tigtagov

Uncovering Tax-Related Identity Theft

Catalog Number 52525A

wwwirsgov

Form 14039 (Rev 4-2017)

Form 14039(April 2017) Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue ServiceIdentity Theft Affidavit OMB Number 1545-2139

Complete this form if you need the IRS to mark an account to identify questionable activity

Section A - Check the following boxes in this section that apply to the specific situation you are reporting (Required for all filers)

1 I am submitting this Form 14039 for myself2 This Form 14039 is submitted in response to a lsquoNoticersquo or lsquoLetterrsquo received from the IRS

bull Please provide lsquoNoticersquo or lsquoLetterrsquo number(s) on the line to the right

bull Please check box 1 in Section B and see special mailing and faxing instructions on reverse side of this form

3 I am submitting this Form 14039 on behalf of my lsquodependent child or dependent relativersquo

bull Please complete Section E on reverse side of this form

Caution If filing this on behalf of your lsquodependent child or dependent relativersquo filing this form will protect his or her tax account

but it will not prevent the victim in Section C below from being claimed as a dependent by another person

4 I am submitting this Form 14039 on behalf of another person (other than my dependent child or dependent relative)

bull Please complete Section E on reverse side of this form

Section B ndash Reason For Filing This Form (Required)

Check only ONE of the following boxes that apply to the person listed in Section C below

1 Someone used my information to file taxes2 I donrsquot know if someone used my information to file taxes but Irsquom a victim of identity theft

Please provide an explanation of the identity theft issue how you became aware of it and provide relevant dates

If needed please attach additional information andor pages to this form

Section C ndash Name and Contact Information of Identity Theft Victim (Required)

Victimrsquos last name

First name

Middleinitial

Taxpayer Identification Number(Please provide 9-digit Social Security Number)

Current mailing address (apartment or suite number and street or PO Box) If deceased please provide last known address

Current city

StateZIP code

Tax Year(s) you experienced identity theft (If not known enter lsquoUnknownrsquo in one box below)What is the last year you filed a return

Address used on last filed tax return (If different than lsquoCurrentrsquo)City (on last tax return filed)

StateZIP code

Names used on last filed tax return (If different than lsquoCurrentrsquo)

Telephone number with area code (Optional) If deceased please indicate lsquoDeceasedrsquo

Home telephone number

Cell phone number Best time(s) to call

Language in which you would like to be contactedEnglish

Spanish

Section D ndash Penalty of Perjury Statement and Signature (Required)

Under penalty of perjury I declare that to the best of my knowledge and belief the information entered on this Form 14039 is true correct

complete and made in good faithSignature of taxpayer or representative conservator parent or guardian

Date signed

Submit this completed form to either the mailing address or the FAX number provided on the reverse side of this form

If the IRS sends you a notice or letter saying that someone used your SSN to get a tax refund or saying therersquos another problem respond quickly and follow the instructions in the letter

bull Call the IRS using the telephone number given in the letter Yoursquoll need the letter and a copy of your prior yearrsquos tax return when you call to help verify your identity Visit the IRSrsquos guide IRS Identity Theft Victim Assistance How It Works for more information

If you think someone used your SSN to file for a tax refund but you havenrsquot gotten a letter from the IRS use IdentityTheftgov to report it to the IRS and FTC and get a recovery plan

bull Visit IdentityTheftgov to complete an IRS Identity Theft Affidavit (IRS Form 14039) and submit it to the IRS online so that the IRS can begin resolving your case Yoursquoll also be reporting the identity theft to the FTC

bull File your tax return and pay any taxes you owe If you canrsquot e-file your tax return you may need to mail a paper return

Next itrsquos important to limit the potential damage from identity theft

bull Put a fraud alert on your credit reports

bull Order your free credit reports and close any new accounts opened in your name

bull Consider placing a credit freeze on your credit reports

Visit IdentityTheftgov for help with these important steps

Dealing with Tax-Related Identity Theft

Other Steps to Repair Identity Theft

2019 was a big year for identity crime which includes scams fraud data breaches cybercrime and all other types of crimes that go with it Tech users are still feeling the aftermath of things like the FacebookCambridge Analytica privacy debacle that was uncovered last year and Congress is still at work on what to do about consumer privacy in the social media age Also the fact that phishing attacks had more than doubled in 2018 over the year before had researchers businesses lawmakers and consumers alike paying closer attention to the messages they receive

Fortunately new legislation came along to make the privacy lives of consumers a little safer The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) a game-changing data privacy law went into effect in Europe in 2018 inflicting strict penalties on businesses that gather and store data but let it fall into the wrong hands Soon new laws intent on strengthening privacy and consumer choice will be taking effect in California and Colorado Best of all the awareness of what constitutes these kinds of crimes and how to recognize them is increasing

However this welcome news does not mean that consumers are completely safe or that hackers are finally giving up With every new platform tool or technology there is even greater potential for new avenues of attack Healthcare providers and insurance companies continued to be one of the hardest-hit targets in 2019 thanks to the overwhelming amount of personally identifiable information (PII) they gather ldquoAccidental exposurerdquo breaches which can happen when businesses store huge databases of private information in an online server but fail to password protect them were a common 2019 identity crime for major-name companies Even entertainment was not safe as many apps and online gaming portals suffered data breaches that were traced back to reusing passwords on multiple sites

Identity Crime Review

2019 did not only see a lot of large data breaches but also settlements in data breach cases as well

bull Equifax Settlement In July Equifax reached a $700 million settlement for harms caused by their data breach Equifax agreed to spend $425 million to help victims of the breach leading to lots of discussion on how to file a claim

bull Facebook Settlement While the Equifax settlement was the largest in data breach history at the time Facebook blew it out of the water just two days later as they were ordered to pay $5 billion After the settlement Facebook said it required a ldquofundamental shiftrdquo in Facebookrsquos approach at every level of the company in terms of their privacy

bull Yahoo Settlement A month and a half later a Yahoo data breach settlement was proposed for $1175 million after over three billion Yahoo accounts were exposed

The best way to avoid becoming a victim is an awareness of the threat and some good privacy habits to prevent crimes like the 2019 identity crimes

bull Never click a link or download an attachment in an email or message you were not expecting

bull Ignore messages that offer amazing deals or threaten you with jail time for not complying

bull Remember that gift cards are not legal tender for paying your taxes or paying a fee or fine

bull Monitor your accounts and credit report routinely to look for anything out of the ordinary

bull Place a freeze on your credit report if you will not be using it anytime soon

bull Protect all of your accounts with strong unique passwords that you change routinely

Consumers are not responsible for the criminal behaviors of a hacker However you can take steps that reduce your risk of becoming a victim and help minimize the damage if the worst does occur

The Identity Theft Resource Center is a non-profit organization established to empower and guide consumers victims businesses and government to minimize risk and mitigate the impact of identity compromise and crime Call them toll-free at 888-400-5530 or visit them at wwwidtheftcenterorg for more information

by Gretchen Abraham Division of Consumer amp Business Education

If you picked the money yoursquore not alone As we start 2020 many of us are making financial resolutions Of course saving more or paying down debt sounds great but getting started can feel overwhelming Donrsquot worry ndash the FTC has five ideas for things you can do to start the new year off right

1 Make a budget Before you set new goals or make changes itrsquos good to know where you stand Use this budget worksheet to add up your income for last month and compare it to how much you spent You might be surprised to see where your dollars are going

2 Prioritize your debts Are debt payments dominating your budget Make a list of your debts and their annual interest rates The debts with the highest interest rates are costing you the most ndash focus on paying those off first

3 Start small Look at your budget for areas to cut back Try starting with one small change like inviting friends over instead of going out Put that money to work right away by setting up automatic transfers with your bank or employer so money goes straight to your savings account

4 Sign up for alerts Many banks creditors and utility companies offer free alerts and reminders when your balances are low or payments are coming due These services can help you avoid late fees overdraft charges or other unexpected costs

5 Ask for help If yoursquore having a financial emergency donrsquot wait until yoursquove already missed payments Call your creditors before the due date explain the situation and ask about your options Many companies will work with you to create a repayment plan

Need more financial tips Keep an eye out for the FTCrsquos upcoming blog series about credit Get it straight to your inbox at ftcgovsubscribe

Would you rather save $5000 or lose 5 pounds

Each year the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) takes a hard look at the number of reports people make to the Consumer Sentinel Network During 2019 the FTC received more than 32 million reports from consumers Herersquos what they found when they examined those reports

bull Imposter scams was the number one fraud reported to Sentinel in 2019 People reported losing more than $667 million to imposters who often pretended to be calling from the government or a well-known business a romantic interest or a family member with an emergency When people lost money they most frequently reported paying scammers with a gift card

bull Social Security imposters were the top government imposter scam reported There were 166190 reports about the Social Security scam and the median individual loss was $1500

bull Phone calls were the number one way people reported being contacted by scammers While most people said they hung up on those calls those who lost money reported a median loss of $1000 in 2019

Fraud reports filed by consumers allow the FTC and its law enforcement partners to investigate the people and companies that trick people into paying money These reports help build and bring cases against scammers which also helps enforce laws that stop scams and other dishonest business practices that take peoplersquos money

In fact during 2019 FTC law enforcement actions led to more than $232 million in refunds to people who lost money More than 19 million people cashed checks mailed by the FTC And in the last four years people have cashed more than one billion dollars in FTC refund checks Thatrsquos real money back into peoplersquos pockets

So if yoursquove spotted a scam keep telling us about it at ftcgovcomplaint If you need more information about these top frauds visit ftcgovimposters and ftcgovgiftcards

Federal Trade Commission Reports Top Frauds of 2019

On January 28 2020 the Department of Justice announced it had filed civil actions for temporary restraining orders in two landmark cases against five companies and three individuals allegedly responsible for carrying hundreds of millions of fraudulent robocalls to American consumers The Department of Justice alleges that the companies were warned numerous times that they were carrying fraudulent robocalls mdash including government- and business-imposter calls mdash and yet continued to carry those calls and facilitate foreign-based fraud schemes targeting Americans The calls most of which originated in India led to massive financial losses to elderly and vulnerable victims across the nation

The two cases contain similar allegations The defendants in one case are Ecommerce National LLC dba TollFreeDealscom SIP Retail dba sipretailcom and their owneroperators Nicholas Palumbo 38 and Natasha Palumbo 33 of Scottsdale Arizona The defendants in the other case include Global Voicecom Inc Global Telecommunication Services Inc KAT Telecom Inc aka IP Dish and their owneroperator Jon Kahen 45 of Great Neck New York In each case the Department of Justice sought an order immediately halting the defendantsrsquo transmission of unlawful robocall traffic A federal court has entered a temporary restraining order against the Global Voicecom defendants

Americans have experienced a deluge of robocalls over the past several years Many of the robocalls originate abroad Recently foreign fraudsters have used robocalls to impersonate government investigators and to provide Americans with alarming messages such as the recipientrsquos social security number or other personal information has been compromised or otherwise connected to criminal activity the recipient faces imminent arrest their assets are being frozen their bank and credit accounts have suspect activity their benefits are being stopped they face imminent deportation or combinations of these threats Each of these claims is a lie designed to scare the call recipient into paying large sums of money Social Security imposters IRS imposters and tech-support schemes (in which callers impersonate legitimate technology companies) have proliferated in part because of the ease with which robocalls can reach millions of potential victims every hour

First of its Kind Enforcement Action by the

Justice Department

In these cases the United States alleges that the defendants operated voice over internet protocol (VoIP) carriers which use an internet connection rather than traditional copper phone lines to carry telephone calls Numerous foreign-based criminal organizations are alleged to have used the defendantsrsquo VoIP carrier services to pass fraudulent government- and business-imposter fraud robocalls to American victims The complaints filed in the cases specifically allege that defendants served as ldquogateway carriersrdquo making them the entry point for foreign-initiated calls into the US telecommunications system The defendants carried astronomical numbers of robocalls For example the complaint against the ownersoperators of Ecommerce National dba TollFreeDealscom alleges that the defendants carried 720 million calls during a sample 23-day period and that more than 425 million of those calls lasted less than one second indicating that they were robocalls The complaint further alleges that many of the 720 million calls were fraudulent and used spoofed (ie fake) caller ID numbers The calls facilitated by the defendants falsely threatened victims with a variety of catastrophic government actions including termination of social security benefits imminent arrest for alleged tax fraud and deportation for supposed failure to fill out immigration forms correctly

According to allegations in both complaints the defendants ignored repeated red flags and warnings about the fraudulent and unlawful nature of the calls they were carrying The claims made in the complaint are mere allegations that if the case were to proceed to trial the government must prove to receive a determination of liability

The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime which can be reached at httpswwwovcgov

In these cases the United States alleges that the defendants operated voice over internet protocol (VoIP) carriers which use an internet connection rather than traditional copper phone lines to carry telephone calls Numerous foreign-based criminal organizations are alleged to have used the defendantsrsquo VoIP carrier services to pass fraudulent government- and business-imposter fraud robocalls to American victims The complaints filed in the cases specifically allege that defendants served as ldquogateway carriersrdquo making them the entry point for foreign-initiated calls into the US telecommunications system The defendants carried astronomical numbers of robocalls For example the complaint against the ownersoperators of Ecommerce National dba TollFreeDealscom alleges that the defendants carried 720 million calls during a sample 23-day period and that more than 425 million of those calls lasted less than one second indicating that they were robocalls The complaint further alleges that many of the 720 million calls were fraudulent and used spoofed (ie fake) caller ID numbers The calls facilitated by the defendants falsely threatened victims with a variety of catastrophic government actions including termination of social security benefits imminent arrest for alleged tax fraud and deportation for supposed failure to fill out immigration forms correctly

According to allegations in both complaints the defendants ignored repeated red flags and warnings about the fraudulent and unlawful nature of the calls they were carrying The claims made in the complaint are mere allegations that if the case were to proceed to trial the government must prove to receive a determination of liability

The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime which can be reached at httpswwwovcgov

About one in three of New Yearrsquos resolutions are broken before the end of January This year therersquos one resolution that every family community advocate and leader in Florida must keep making sure all children are counted in the 2020 Census

Over two million children were missed being counted in the 2010 Census ndash more than 71000 in Florida alone This undercount hit Florida families hard ndash over $67 million in funds were lost EACH YEAR for Foster Care Adoption Child Care and Childrenrsquos Health Insurance Program

But the undercount also hurt funding for our schools roads Medicare Medicaid emergency preparedness (ie hurricanes) and much more Since the Census happens only once every 10 years these funding losses hurt children for most of their childhood

For more information visit Learn more Letrsquos ensure every child gets counted

Children Often Undercounted in the Census

FDACS-P-00030 Rev 022020

The Division of Food Safety monitors food from the point of manufacturing and distribution through wholesale and retail sales to ensure the public of safe wholesome and

properly represented food products CLICK THE ICON ABOVE TO SEE THE LATEST RECALLS

MARKET WITHDRAWALS amp SAFETY ALERTS

The Consumer Product Safety Commission provides consumer product recall information as part of the

agencyrsquos mission to protect consumers and families from hazardous products

CLICK THE ICON ABOVE TO SEE THE LATEST RECALLS MARKET WITHDRAWALS amp SAFETY ALERTS

Follow us on Twitter -- FDACS and NikkiFriedFL

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is the statersquos clearinghouse for consumer complaints protection and information Consumers who believe fraud has taken place can contact the departmentrsquos consumer protection and information hotline by calling 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) or for Spanish speakers 1-800-FL-AYUDA (352-9832) or visit us online at FloridaConsumerHelpcom

NATIONAL CONSUMER PROTECTION WEEK

MARCH 1-7 2020

NATIONAL SURVEYORS WEEK MARCH 15-21 2020

C o m i n g i n M a r c h