Why did Turbo Tax partner with TPG =SCAM?

[ssturner64]

How many people are Turbo Tax and TPG delaying refunds so they can collect the interest off millions in delayed refunds????  Why has TT turned its self into a scam company by teaming and laundering money through TPG and we don't find out until it's too late.  Then TPG says you are locked out of your account and it takes weeks to verify who you are thus allowing them to collect additional interest on millions of tax payer refunds.  25 year customer -never again and will review on financial show.

[Lisa995]

You've used the service for 25 years and this is the first year you've had issues?   Or this happens every year?

[macuser_22]

The "convenience fee" for paying from your refund is not a TurboTax fee but a separate bank fee for making an unsecured loan to you to pay the TurboTax fees from your refund.  That fee is from the Santa Barbara Tax Products Group (SBTPG)

 Unsecured loan rates can be high because if you do not actually get the refund (the IRS denies it or there is a tax offset levied) then it can be difficult or impossible for the bank to get it's money back so the high fees reflect the risk involved.

Other payment methods such as a pre-paid credit card are usually much cheaper and does not delay the refund by being sent to the SBTPG bank first.

Contact the SPTPG this way

<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://ttlc.intuit.com/questions/3129412-why-is-my-federal-refund-on-hold-with-santa-barbara-tax-pr...>

[Opus 17 · Accepted solution]

Several years ago, TPG was tricked by scammers into changing the deposit accounts for some customers, resulting in refunds being stolen.  So they take extra precautions now to make sure that a customer's refund goes to the customer only.  Plus the USA Patriot Act places rules on when a bank can open an account for someone; sometimes TPG needs additional verification before they can open an account to collect your refund, and sometimes they need additional verification to make sure they are paying a refund to the right person.

If you choose to pay $40 extra to deduct your Turbotax fees from your refund, instead of paying them up front with a credit card or debit card (that you can buy for $5 and load with cash at any drug store) then you can put up with extra verification to make sure your refund is paid to the right person.  You can eliminate TPG from the equation by paying the fees up front and taking a check or direct deposit from the IRS directly into your own bank account. 

[Rinnalee1265]

Oh but it’s funny this year in 2021 they have all random [Removed] underlying extra [Removed] fees which means there’s still a fraudulent company and TurboTax consistently decides to use with them because they’re probably getting a cut of the fees my husband is a lawyer and we are in the process of building a case and there has been several different fraudulent issues since 2019 all the way to 2021 and into 2022 isn’t that convenient

[wfrierson]

Sue the **bleep** out of TT and TPG for us. Thanks!

[Samerine]

Really? What can we do??? Are we just out our money?

[Amil1508]

They have given me 0% of my refund. with 0 explanation. 
Just put it in reserve never notified me & has ignored my emails & copies of identification i have sent. The verification is hogwash & they don’t answer phones or give resolutions. They avoid you & steal money. All 6k of my refund from IRS gone. 
TT STOP saying it’s offsets or fees!!!! 
You have thief’s in the camp & will lose customers. Hopefully someone goes to jail for all the Money stolen. 
Saying there was suspicious activity is the oldest scam in the book!! Just check your junk email folder they always say “ your account is on hold for suspicious activity” ALL LIES. 
We need our refunds 

[Sibangel]

My refund is short by almost $3000. Is this going to be delayed or fo I gave to file a complaint to get it?

[ChondelLO]

@Sibangel  Please visit the Help Article below for possible reasons why your refund is lower than expected. Since your refund was deposited by Santa Barbara Tax Group, please reach out to SBTG Customer Care for more information if the refund offset does not apply to your situation. 

Why is my direct-deposited refund or check lower than the ...