Finally Got My 2011 Tax Return Refund
Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. I’ve been working on making ends meet and trying to survive. Well, I am happy to say that I did finally get my tax return back on September 25 of this year. This part of the whole “stolen tax return” wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It only took about seven and a half months after my reporting it stolen until I got it and I’ve heard of people not getting theirs back for up to two years or not at all. One thing I will tell you though is that you have to stay on top of it. You must keep calling the IRS about every three weeks. Each time I called them they told me that there was another necessary step that should have already been implemented that had not been implemented yet but that since I was calling now they would make sure to start that “next” process (whatever it was).
So after about 15 follow-up phone calls, patience and making sure that I made sure that the next step of the process was completed and following up on that, I was finally able to get it back. It seems to me that the main step of the process is getting your case assigned to an IRS fraud case worker – this was the part that took the longest. Once I got a caseworker she was very much on the case and made things happen as long as I followed up with her.
In a nutshell, what I would suggest is to continually follow up with them and remind them of what needs to be done next or to do whatever needs to be done next. I even got my letter declaring that I was a victim of identity theft and another letter stating that I would receive my PIN to file for this year in December.
Now that this part is over, it still isn’t all over. Unfortunately the idiots who stole my tax return filed it in another state and put down that I was married. How does this affect someone you might ask? Well, I just completed one degree and went to sign up for school for a second degree and guess what? Since these idiots filed my tax return in California my school thinks I am not a resident and are asking me to pay out-of-state tuition fees. I have never left Florida – Ever! And to make matters worse they are asking for my spouses returns or employment information. I’ve never had a spouse. So to prove all of this they are asking for my tax return transcripts. You’re gonna love this one – the IRS wont or claim they cannot cough up my tax return transcripts because the only one they can generate is the one from the first tax return submitted to them which would be that of the thief’s!
Isn’t life wonderful?
When I get this one worked out, I will let you know how I did it. In the meantime, good luck with your identity theft situation. And for those of you reading this that like to steal from other struggling people, I’d like to say – your mother really should have aborted you – Really!
And, oh yeah, although I used Turbo Tax every year to file my tax return, I have no idea how these morons stole my identity. Apparently no one is safe no matter how they file their returns and identity theft is rampant all over the United States in this day and age. Hopefully the IRS, credit bureaus, etc., will come up with a better way to protect and deal with stolen identities.
Photo thanks to: Jewish Women’s Archive. “Woman in field with rainbow.” (Viewed on December 5, 2012) <http://jwa.org/node/16101>.
Post comments below the dotted line
Question, did the IRS pay you interest because processing your return took longer than 8 weeks. Also what restitution did they offer. I don’t need specifics if they did pay you interest or restitution I just want to know if going through the hell was rectified with restitution? Thank you
Hello Jocelyne, Yes the IRS did pay me interest but that was because my tax return was stolen by a tax return thief and it took nearly eight months to receive. And as much as I was frustrated and annoyed, they really did have to give me anything, but I was glad that they did. As far as restitution goes, I can’t imagine what they could give me as restitution. Although the IRS didn’t help prevent my return from being stolen (as they should have) they also didn’t steal it. It was a big headache and it took a long time and although I have thoroughly bitched about the entire situation, the reality of it is that they don’t owe us anything.
Question: so do people find out who steal their refund? Is this a long process?
Julie, Some people do find out who stole their returns – them finding out is typically not on purpose. Every once in a while a police officer or someone at the IRS will slip up and tell you or you may find out by some other means. But neither law enforcement or the IRS are legally allowed to tell you. I am guessing this is to avoid you tracking someone down and ringing their damn neck.
As far as how long the entire process takes – well it took me only seven months. I consider seven months a very short time within which to have this issue resolved. I have heard of people waiting up to two years to receive their stolen tax returns. The average time-frame seems to be somewhere around one year.
My suggestion is to be patient and to continue to follow-up with the IRS every two weeks. When you are following up with them, try not to act like an asshole on the phone (trust me, I was very tempted to act like an ass because I was so upset), and be very detailed about what you are telling them. If you show them respect, they will be more likely to assist you or go the extra mile. And keep records of everything you spoke about and who you need to follow up with or which department you need to speak to next. Get the phone numbers of the departments they transfer you to and the names of the persons that will be handling the next phase of your situation. Ask them how long it usually takes for this phase of the process to be handled. Make sure you follow their instructions and make sure they do what they say they are going to do by following up with them on your next phone call. A lot of the steps they need to take get lost in the shuffle but when you call them back to remind them of what they said they were going to do and you can provide them with detailed information about it, they will typically make sure they get it done on that second phone call – at least this is what worked for me.
Last but not least, ask for a confirmation of what they’re doing and make sure you have some way to track whatever you are mailing or faxing them when possible.
I hope this helps!
Question did they mail you a physical check or direct depoisted into your account. I’m in the same situation now thanks.
Hello Shawn, They mailed me a physical check. As far as I know, direct deposit is not an option once your tax return has to be reissued due to identity theft.