The state Department of Revenue will be taking extra steps this year to help detect possible cases of identity thieves targeting state tax refunds.
State Revenue Secretary Rick Chandler says cases where someone files a false tax return using another person’s information remain a top cybercrime in the state. He says the agency will be using a new identity verification system this year to help spot the fraud, which includes sending out a letter to some taxpayers that asks them to take a “quick quiz” before a refund is issued.
Chandler says taxpayers who receive a notice should not panic. They will just need to take a very short identity verification quiz either online or by phone, which he says should be fairly simple to pass if you are the actual taxpayer filing the return.
The Secretary hopes the system will send a clear message to identity thieves that the state is on to their schemes and will now be “double-checking things in Wisconsin.”
