How to Charge Back Checks & IRS Fraud Refund

The IRS has a simple process to handle refund fraud.

As the world and government becomes increasingly digitized, fraudulent activity is on the rise. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is a part of the government that can be particularly vulnerable to attacks, as it makes more information accessible and provides online transactions for consumers. There are various ways in which criminals can obtain refund checks and cash them before they are received by taxpayers. With the sensitive financial information readily available, it is not surprising that taxpayers are easily tricked into providing personal information like Social Security numbers to criminals. Fraud is easy to report to the IRS and there is a remedy to recover refund checks that were either lost, stolen or fraudulently cashed.

Instructions

1. Monitor any refund check that you expect to receive by visiting the refund status section at the IRS "Where's My Refund" section of its website. Enter your Social Security number or IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number as indicated on the tax return. Check the online form box that designates your Filing Status information, choosing Single, Married-Filing Joint Return, Married-Filing Separate Return, Head of Household or Qualifying Widow(er). Enter in the anticipated refund amount that was listed on the filed tax return.

2. Call the IRS Refund Hotline at 800-829-1954 to notify them that you have not received the check if the website indicates that the refund check has been cashed. Tell the IRS representative that it is clear that the refund check was stolen because you have not received it and the website indicated that it had been processed through your bank.

3. Download IRS Form 3911 from the website and either fill it out online or print it out first and fill out manually. Complete Sections I, II and III along with personal information and required tax return data. Include all relevant information about the circumstances on how the check may have been stolen or lost to the best of your knowledge. Also provide bank account information on the form and sign it. Have your spouse sign the form if you filed a joint return. Alternatively, ask for the IRS to send a copy of the form in the mail for you to complete.

4. Fax or mail the completed Form 3911 to the IRS to the same address where your return was filed. If your tax return was filed electronically, check the "where to file" section of the IRS website to obtain the physical address. The IRS will perform an investigation, charge back the refund to your account and issue a new check when they have completed investigating the incident. Contact the IRS at your local office number as listed on the website to find out the status of your new refund check every few weeks until you receive it.

5. Report any suspicious email that purports to be from the IRS to its phishing and fraud department. Consider any email that classifies as such to be fraudulent communication as the IRS does not initiate email communications with tax payers.

Tips & Warnings

• Delete fraudulent emails from your computer system.

• The IRS never requests Social Security numbers, sensitive data or passwords via email.

• Regularly run anti-virus protection software on your computer to minimize receiving fraudulent emails and viruses.

References

• IRS: Where's My Refund

Resources

• IRS: Form 3911