Identity theft discovered at tax time

February 09, 2012 9:43 PM
By MADELINE BUCKLEY/The Brownsville Herald

Five years ago, Brownsville resident Joanna Velez had her purse stolen.

It had been in her locked car, and someone had smashed a window and taken the purse.

Velez, now 25, dealt with the frustration of a burglarized car and stolen purse, not realizing the break-in would come back to haunt her years later.

After recently filing her 2011 income tax forms, she was alerted to discrepancies in her employment records.

Tax documents indicated that someone using her name and social security number held jobs in three other states and four cities.

“I never thought this could happen when they broke into my car,” Velez said. “I was mad but I let is pass and never thought it would still be affecting me.”

Her stolen purse contained her social security card, birth certificate and driver’s license. She realized someone was using her documents to work elsewhere.

Velez fell victim to a type of employment fraud commonly caught during tax season, when individuals file their returns and are shocked to see discrepancies in the government tax employment records, officials say.

The Federal Trade Commission ranks Brownsville the No. 2 city in the nation for identity theft.

At an identity theft summit last month for Rio Grande Valley law enforcement, Carlos Camacho, a Brownsville police officer, said the department often sees employment fraud complaints at the start of the year, continuing through mid-April when tax returns are due.

Perpetrators obtain social security numbers in various ways, and often jump from job to job, state to state, making them difficult to catch, Camacho said.

Velez’s employment records stated she had worked jobs in Wisconsin, North Carolina, Tennessee and Houston, but she said she hasn’t ever worked outside Brownsville.

A public affairs specialist for the Social Security Administration said people who suspect they have been victimized should contact the local Social Security office immediately.

“We will review your earnings with you to ensure our records are correct,” Public Affairs Specialist Leslie L. Young said.

The local Social Security Administration office is in Brownsville at 3115 Central Boulevard. The phone number is 956-574-7498.

Additionally, the Internal Revenue Service has a form on its website, Internal Revenue Service, for possible victims to alert the agency to fraudulent income records.

If an individual finds problems in their tax records, they can contact the local IRS office for help, according to the agency’s website. The Harlingen office is at 1810 Hale Ave.; the phone number is 956-365-5185. The office does not provide information by telephone, but it accepts walk-ins without appointment.

What happens after a victim alerts the government is more complicated.

Velez has remained in communication with the Harlingen IRS office since she discovered the employment fraud, and she is working to sort out the problem. She filed a police report detailing the fraud.

Velez said she asked for a new Social Security number but was told that wasn’t possible as of now.

Young said an individual can receive a new Social Security number if they can prove someone is using the number, they have done everything else possible to fix the misuse and are disadvantaged by the misuse.

But she warned that a new number is not a quick fix, as banks, credit-reporting companies and government agencies still have records under the old number.

“Using a new number will not guarantee you a fresh start,” she said.

Velez said an official told her by phone she has to go to the local IRS office to deal with the matter, but she hasn’t yet been able to find the time.

“I never thought this could affect me,” Velez said. “Somebody else is using my papers.”

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