The state Department of Revenue is taking a closer look at nearly 60,000 tax returns, amid reports that other states have seen an uptick in fraudulent filings in the past week.
DOR spokeswoman Stephanie Marquis says there have been no cases of widespread fraud reported in Wisconsin. However, she says they want to be cautious in order to make sure refunds are going to the correct person.
Marquis says the review process involves ramping up an identity protection program that has been used previously to detect fraud. If your return is flagged, the agency will reach out with questions that will need to be answered before it can be processed. “It may mean that you’ll get asked to take a quiz, or you will receive a letter asking you to provide documentation.”
Marquis says the extra scrutiny could slow down the processing time for some returns, although electronic filing remains the fastest way to process refunds. The identity verification effort helped save taxpayers almost $50 million last year.
