WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service today reminded
taxpayers who receive requests from the IRS to verify their identities that the
Identity Verification Service website, idverify.irs.gov, offers the fastest,
easiest way to complete the task.
Taxpayers may receive a letter when the IRS stops suspicious
tax returns that have indications of being identity theft but contains a real
taxpayer’s name and/or Social Security number. Only those taxpayers receiving
Letter 5071C should access idverify.irs.gov.
The website will ask a series of questions that only the
real taxpayer can answer.
Once the identity is verified, the taxpayers can confirm
whether or not they filed the return in question. If they did not file the
return, the IRS can take steps at that time to assist them. If they did file
the return, it will take approximately six weeks to process it and issue a
refund.
Letter 5071C is mailed through the U.S. Postal Service to
the address on the return. It asks taxpayers to verify their identities in
order for the IRS to complete processing of the returns if the taxpayers did
file it or reject the returns if the taxpayers did not file it. The IRS does
not request such information via email, nor will the IRS call a taxpayer
directly to ask this information without you receiving a letter first. The
letter number can be found in the upper corner of the page.
The letter gives taxpayers two options to contact the IRS
and confirm whether or not they filed the return. Taxpayers may use the
idverify.irs.gov site or call a toll-free number on the letter. Because of the
high-volume on the toll-free numbers, the IRS-sponsored website, idverify.irs.gov, is the safest, fastest option for
taxpayers with web access.
Taxpayers should have available their prior year tax return
and their current year tax return, if they filed one, including supporting
documents, such as Forms W-2 and 1099 and Schedules A and C.
Taxpayers also may access idverify.irs.gov through
www.IRS.gov by going to Understanding Your 5071C Letter or the Understanding
Your IRS Notice or Letter page. The tool is also available in Spanish.
Taxpayers should always be aware of tax scams, efforts to solicit personally
identifiable information and IRS impersonations. However, idverify.irs.gov is a
secure, IRS-supported site that allows taxpayers to verify their identities
quickly and safely.
IRS.gov is the official IRS website. Always look for a URL
ending with “.gov” – not “.com,” “.org,” “.net,” or other nongovernmental URLs.
From the IRS, March 18, 2015
