@ds283963 wrote:
Contact the IRS and request a Refund Trace. The IRS will investigate the preparer and help you resolve the issue. Call the IRS main contact number.
Sorry, no, this will not work. If the IRS deposits the payment in the account as requested by the taxpayer, the IRS is finished, they wash their hands. The deposit went where the taxpayer asked, so it is the taxpayer's problem.
If you used a legitimate, authorized tax preparer (one with a preparer ID from the IRS), you can file a complaint with the IRS. However, if you used a casual preparer who used consumer software such as Turbotax (Turbotax is not authorized for professional to use), then you can contact the police and file a report for criminal theft or theft by deception. The bogus, fly by night preparer stole your money. But unfortunately, if you told the IRS to use someone else's bank account (friend, relative, helper, etc.), and the IRS did, then the IRS is done.
But, note that in some cases, the IRS will block a deposit to someone else's bank and will send a check instead. If the IRS blocked the deposit and sent a check in your name, and the preparer cashed it, that is check fraud. The IRS might help you with a trace, and that is also a matter for the police.
