Last year someone stole my SSN and filed it on Turbo Tax on a different account. How do I ensure my social security number is only used for a certain intuit account?

[DoninGA]

You need to apply for an Identity Protection PIN from the IRS - https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin

[VolvoGirl]

May I ask how you know that happened?  Did your efile reject last year because your ssn was used on another return?  It might not necessarily be stolen.  It could have been just a mistake by someone typing their ssn wrong and got yours.  It happens.

[xsaycocie]

When I attempted to e-file through Turbo Tax they rejected since the SSN had already been filed.  I think I was able to find the tax record on this site:  https://sa.www4.irs.gov/ola/tax_records and saw that they got a significant refund using falsified data.  When I legitimately filed I actually owed tax.  

They also tried to file a state return but unlike the Federal IRS, luckily the state of CO rejected it.  Six months ago I requested a copy of the fake return but as you may know this takes a significant amount of time as I have not received it yet.

[xsaycocie]

I think I accidentally posted it instead of replying to @VolvoGirl .  See my reply from @xsaycocie.

[Opus 17]

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@xsaycocie wrote:

When I attempted to e-file through Turbo Tax they rejected since the SSN had already been filed.  I think I was able to find the tax record on this site:  https://sa.www4.irs.gov/ola/tax_records and saw that they got a significant refund using falsified data.  When I legitimately filed I actually owed tax.  

They also tried to file a state return but unlike the Federal IRS, luckily the state of CO rejected it.  Six months ago I requested a copy of the fake return but as you may know this takes a significant amount of time as I have not received it yet.

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I think you need to contact the Intuit Security team, you will probably need to fax them some copies of your ID and so on.

https://www.intuit.com/company/contact/

If you are a customer first, and someone comes second to file in your name, that will create an automatic warning and block, but if you are not a customer, and someone uses your information to create an account and file, I think you will need to contact the security team to block that account. 

[Opus 17]

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@xsaycocie wrote:

When I attempted to e-file through Turbo Tax they rejected since the SSN had already been filed.  I think I was able to find the tax record on this site:  https://sa.www4.irs.gov/ola/tax_records and saw that they got a significant refund using falsified data.  When I legitimately filed I actually owed tax.  

They also tried to file a state return but unlike the Federal IRS, luckily the state of CO rejected it.  Six months ago I requested a copy of the fake return but as you may know this takes a significant amount of time as I have not received it yet.

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Also, 

blocking your SSN on Turbotax will not stop this person (who already has your SSN) from using a different service.  If you apply for an IP-PIN from the IRS, that will create an IRS-level block that will prevent anyone from e-filing in your name using any software unless they have the IP-PIN.  I don't know if you are in time to request an IP-PIN for the 2022 season.

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/electronic-filing-pin-request

Lastly, since someone else has your personal information and SSN, you should be taking steps to block and prevent other types of identity theft fraud, including blocking your credit reports to prevent someone from opening accounts in your name, and other similar activities.

https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/security/identity-theft-what-to-do-if-someone-has-already-filed...

https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/identity-theft

[NCperson]

@xsaycocie - sign up for a PIN.

This will preclude anyone from e-filing using your SSN without the PIN and presumably you are the only one who will know your PIN.

if someone paper files with your SSN, the IRS will review it very, very closely, because they know there should have been a PIN associated with the tax return.....

https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin

[xsaycocie]

Yes I will definitely sign up for the pin when it's available.  When I go to that link I see this:

"Service Outage: November 19, 2022 to January 9, 2023"

As an alternative do you think I can just file my return as soon as I get my W-2 and then file an amendment later on so that no one else can file using my SSN?

BTW, thank you all for your very helpful comments!

[NCperson]

@xsaycocie no - once you file, the PIN has no benefit.

suggest marking you calendar for January 10th and just sign up that day.   The IRS won't begin filing taxes until late in January in any event.   You will be better off this way. 

[Opus 17]

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@NCperson wrote:

@xsaycocie no - once you file, the PIN has no benefit.

suggest marking you calendar for January 10th and just sign up that day.   The IRS won't begin filing taxes until late in January in any event.   You will be better off this way. 

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If the IP-PIN enrollment service is off line until January 2023, I suspect that any IP-PIN that is issued will be for the 2023 tax return, and I suspect it is too late to get an IP-PIN for a 2022 tax return.  Remember that IP-PINs are only mailed to the taxpayer at their address of record, in mid-December.  If the taxpayer enrolls in January 2023, their first IP-PIN will be mailed in December 2023 for their 2023 tax return to be filed in the Spring of 2024. 

[Opus 17]

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@xsaycocie wrote:

Yes I will definitely sign up for the pin when it's available.  When I go to that link I see this:

"Service Outage: November 19, 2022 to January 9, 2023"

As an alternative do you think I can just file my return as soon as I get my W-2 and then file an amendment later on so that no one else can file using my SSN?

BTW, thank you all for your very helpful comments!

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If you can't enroll in the IP-pin program for your 2022 tax return, then the only practical way to prevent someone from e-filing with your information is to file first.  You could try contacting the various tax software providers, but nothing is really guaranteed.  Unfortunately, it would have been better to file an identity theft affidavit and request the IP-PIN as soon as you discovered the problem.