IU employees affected by tax fraud

IU employees were alerted they might be vulnerable to tax fraud in an email sent Thursday to faculty, staff and temporary employees.

Multiple IU offices have received reports from faculty and staff who have been unable to file their 2013 tax returns electronically because someone has already filed a fraudulent tax return using their personal information, according to the email.

“This tax fraud is basically a form of identity theft,” said Mark Land, director of IU Communications.

Tax fraud is a rapidly increasing form of fraud.

1.6 million fraudulent returns were filed with the IRS in the first six months of 2013, the email said, citing a recent article in the Boston Globe.

Only 271,000 cases were reported in all of 2010.

While IU employees have been affected by tax fraud, it’s not a result of a computer breach through the University, according to the email.

According to the University Information Security and Policy Offices’ website, it has received approximately 25 reports from faculty and staff who have experienced fraudulent 2013 federal tax returns.

These cases have been reported to the FBI, U.S. Secret Service and the IRS.

“This is not an attack on IU,” Land said. “This is just something that happened to IU.”
However, if employees becomes a victim of tax fraud there are resources they can use to help protect their identity.

There are three major credit bureaus in the U.S.: Trans Union, Experian and Equifax. Any of these bureaus can alert people if someone applies for new credit in their name.
“All we can try to do is to provide general information,” Land said.

Jerry Minger is the University director of public safety.

In his email, he advised employees who experience a tax fraud issue to file a report with the IU Police Department.

If they are Indiana residents, they may also want to request a security freeze on their credit report, according to the email. That way, it’s more difficult for credit accounts to be opened in their name without their knowledge.

Information about requesting a security freeze can be found at http://www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/2411.htm.