FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Samarria Dunson, (855) 292-3496
(334) 252-1818
(334) 206-5209
On June 5, 2014, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Tax Division informed the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) that they were prosecuting a case involving the theft of personal information for fraudulent purposes, particularly the filing of false tax returns for the years 2011 and 2012.
This scheme involved theft of information from ADPH, as well as several other entities. Information stolen from ADPH may have included clients’ names, dates of birth, and social security numbers. Information on this case can be found on the following website:
http://www.justice.gov/usao/alm/programs/vwa/taxnotification.html. Additional information on the case can also be obtained by calling 1-855-292-3496.
Many individuals whose personal information may have been taken are being notified by letter. Those who believe they may have been a victim must complete a form and submit supporting
documentation as proof. The form and documentation need to be sent to the U.S. Attorney’s Office on or before July 31, 2014, at
the address provided and are asked to take the following steps:
- If you believe someone may have used your social security number fraudulently to file a tax return in your name, please notify the Internal Revenue Service immediately by calling the IRS at 800-908-4490. For more information on what to do if you are victim of stolen identity refund fraud, please go to the IRS’s Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft at the website listed below:
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Taxpayer-Guide-to-Identity-Theft
- Report incidents of identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission at http://consumer.ftc.gov or call the FTC Identity Theft Hotline at 877-438-4338 or TTY 866-653-4261. Be sure to call the hotline to update your
complaint if you have any additional information or problems.
- Contact the fraud departments of the three major credit bureaus:
Equifax – www.equifax.com, 1-800-525-6285
Experian – www.experian.com, 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion – http://www.transunion.com, 1-800-680-7289
- Close any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.
Copies of the form to document victim claims are available at the Department of Justice's website: www.justice.gov/usao/alm/programs/vwa/taxnotification.html. Supporting documentation must be attached to the form when submitted to the Department of Justice.
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6/26/14