Sen. Sherrod Brown looks to boost penalties for tax identify theft
The Hill – Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) on Wednesday said he supports a Senate bill that increases penalties for people convicted of identify theft by filing false tax returns with the IRS.
Brown spoke in Ohio with Michael Bucalo, one of his constituents whose identity was stolen by a criminal who got his tax return, and said these sorts of crimes are slowing down tax refunds.
“The deadline to file taxes is right around the corner — and so, too, are criminals waiting to defraud honest taxpayers, like Michael,” Brown said. “Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in our country, where increased access to information for consumers also means increased opportunities for criminals — so it’s no wonder that stealing identities to fraudulently obtain tax returns and refunds is turning into an epidemic.”
