Thousands of unfortunate taxpayers who are the victims of identity theft are waiting up to nearly two years to receive their federal income tax refunds, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Taxpayer Advocate.
Unfortunately, the situation appears to be getting worse, not better, at the IRS when it comes to clearing up ID theft cases and sending refund cash to those who need it. The rent or mortgage must get paid, groceries need to be bought, the car must get fixed, and the charges on high-rate credit cards all keep piling up.
But the tax refund is nowhere to be found for many victims of tax-related ID theft.
Many taxpayers, particularly lower income families who qualify for key tax breaks designed to help workers with low to modest incomes, suffer during an endlessly long wait for their tax refund cash if their personal information ended up being used by crooks and con artists to file a phony tax return.