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IRS cracking down on ID theft, tax fraud
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MIAMI (AP) — With tax filing season heating up, an aggressive Internal Revenue Service crackdown is targeting the growing problem of criminals who use stolen identities to seek tens of thousands of dollars in fraudulent tax refunds. Acting IRS Commissioner Steven T. Miller said Thursday that a January sweep in 32 states and Puerto Rico identified 389 ID theft suspects, including 109 who were arrested. The number of IRS ID theft investigations tripled in 2012 and is focused on high-risk cities such as Miami, New York, Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles. In 2012, the IRS says its investigations and in-house filtering systems prevented $20 billion in would-be fraudulent refunds, up from $14 billion the year before. But Miller acknowledged that thieves still get away with stealing numerous tax refunds, although the IRS could not provide exact loss figures. "In terms of how much got past us, we're quite sure some did," Miller told reporters in a conference call. "I know it doesn't approach the number that we stopped." Like so many other types of fraud, Florida again is a national leader. Florida tops the U.S. in identity theft complaints at 178 for every 100,000 residents, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The Miami area is even worse, at 324 complaints per 100,000 residents. Miller said Miami and Tampa are the epicenters of the problem in Florida. "Identity theft tax refund fraud has spread though South Florida like a virus," said Miami U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer, whose office has prosecuted numerous tax fraud cases. Legitimate taxpayers whose IDs are stolen often must wait months to get their refunds. Miller said there's a current backlog of 300,000 cases and an average wait time of 180 days for a resolution. "I can say we are getting much better," Miller said. "We know that we need to do much, much more." 
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Today is Tuesday, May 21, the 141st day of 2013. There are 224 days left in the year.
1863 -- 150 years ago: On Monday the 11th inst. on Center Ridge in Mercer County,some citizens got out their cannon to celebrate the taking of Richmond. The gun wasoverloaded and burst. No one was injured, but one 30-pound piece went though thesecond story of a house.
1888 -- 125 years ago: The old folks concert at the Harper Theater last night to benefit St.Luke's Cottage Hospital, attracted a large audience.
1913 -- 100 years ago: Unless depredation by vandals in Rock Island parks is halted,special policemen will be assigned to night duty to protect the flowers and other property.
1938 -- 75 years ago: Station WHBF has received a special citation from Washington forits participation in Air Mail Week, which was observed this week throughout the nation.
1963 -- 50 years ago: A 10-year high in employment in the Quad-City area was reachedat the end of the last quarter, according to an industrial employment barometer releasedtoday.
1988 -- 25 years ago: Pee Wee teams will be able to play baseball and softball as usualon Diamond Three at Dorrance Park this summer, but after that, the ball field is doomed.County crews have put the diamond back in shape after heavy trucks marred the playingfield earlier this spring. Illinois Department of Transportation crews drove onto it to makeborings for the relocation of the junction of Illinois 84 and the Port Byron-Hillsdale road.
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