MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials warned Alabama residents Thursday to be vigilant in watching for identity theft as tax-filing season begins.
U.S. Attorney George Beck in the Middle District of Alabama said at a news conference that nine people have been arrested in recent days and eight are to be sentenced Friday in identity-theft cases in the district. He says the cases involve millions of dollars.
He said one of the cases involved a state employee charged with conspiring with others to file false tax returns using stolen identities. Beck said the employee accessed state databases to steal identities.
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Beck says tax season tends to bring out thieves looking for “easy money” from filing fraudulent returns or from fraudulently preparing someone’s returns.
Beck and the other officials warned that it is particularly important this time of year to safeguard sensitive information such as birthdates and social security numbers.
“They keep creating new ways to steal identities,” Beck said.
Veronica Hyman-Pillot, a special agent with the Internal Revenue Service, said the IRS’ top priority is preventing identity theft.
Beck and other officials suggested that taxpayers file returns early.
