I stupidly was scammed out of $420m due to the grandson scam. It has been reported to the authoritys.Can I deduct this from my taxes?

[Carl]

Is that "m" for million? If you're dealing with that much money, you really should be letting a tax professional handle this. If it really is that much, then you'll deal with it under the Deductions & Credits tab in the Casualty and Thefts section.

[xmasbaby0]

What year?  No casualty or theft deductions for 2018 returns.

[xmasbaby0]

420 million dollars?  Is this a homework question?

[dicko]

m stands for 1000

[macuser_22]

Meaning $420,000 almost half a million - I agree with Carl - that is a lot of money - consult a professional or tax attorney.

[dicko]

thanks. It is a lot to lose

[macuser_22]

i assume that you have made a police report - if not do so.

[macuser_22]

Unfortunately if this theft happened in 2018 it can no longer be deducted at all.   Even if it was in 2017 the maximum that it could help would be to zero out your tax liability (i.e. if your tax liability without the deduction would have been $6,000 then that is the most that the deduction could help with).     I don't want to get your hopes up by consulting a professional because nobody can change the new 2018 tax laws.    I suggested a professional or attorney to go after the scammer to try to recover the money with a legal action.

[dicko]

Thanks but I think the money is long gone. yes ny state police and fbi

[rjs · Accepted solution]

If the theft occurred in 2017 or earlier, the deduction can do more than reduce your 2017 tax to zero. A large theft loss can produce a net operating loss (NOL). An NOL resulting from a theft loss can be carried back 3 years, and then carried forward up to 20 years or until it is used up. So it can reduce your tax for previous and future years as well as for the year of the loss. The rules and calculations for a net operating loss are very complicated, and TurboTax will not do the calculations for you. You should definitely consult an experienced tax professional to look into the possibility of a net operating loss.

As others have said in the comments, if the theft occurred in 2018 there is no deduction, and it therefore cannot produce an NOL.

[macuser_22]

A NOL would only apply to a business would it not?

[rjs]

A business loss on Schedule C is the most common cause of an NOL. But there are other, less common possible causes. These are a casualty or theft loss, very large employee business expenses, moving expenses, or a loss from rental property.

[rjs]

I should also point out that for most NOLs the carryback period is 2 years. The 3-year carryback for a casualty or theft loss is an exception to the general rule. My answer was specific to the OP's situation.

[macuser_22]

I don't see anything in this question that suggests  a schedule c or a business - just seems to be a person that was scammed of personal funds.