Given recent reports of ID theft-related tax fraud, it's no wonder that some taxpayers are wary after receiving what appears to be a letter from the IRS requesting personal information. You might have seen Facebook posts from clients asking about strange letters requesting “ID verification.” It turns out that these Letters 5071C are not only legitimate but also serve as one of the tools the IRS uses to combat fraud. Luckily, the IRS posted details about the letter to help answer any initial questions recipients might have.

A Letter 5071C is mailed to verify the name and social security number of the addressed taxpayer after receiving a potentially suspicious federal income tax return using that person’s information. Both the letter and the IRS website provide instructions for responding to the letter, which are listed below:

• Login to idverify.irs.gov.
• Call the Identity Verification telephone number.

Users should have a copy of both their current and prior year’s tax return when responding. After verifying the return, the taxpayer should expect a six-week turnaround time for their return.

To read the article in its entirety, follow this link.

Source: Internal Revenue Service