by Jeff_43
I took a part time job at a local tax place (national chain company.)
My 1st shift was today and man the level of fraud people are trying is crazy.
Our place gives same day loans of someone qualifies so we are warned and had to take training classes spotting fraud. I thought the classes were BS and that no one would really try to do this stuff.
I was wrong.
I was watching a coworker take care of a woman came in with a piece of paper with some numbers on it.
She wanted to file a return for her “home babysitting business” She was single and had 3 kids of her own to file as dependents. She wanted to file head of household and claim earned income credit.
The amount she made would have qualified her for the maximum amount. She had no records of anything, when ask about expenses she was clueless, when ask about the ages of the kids she babysit she could not remember, when ask about the list of parents names and phone numbers in case of emergency she was clueless. and it only got better.
When she was told that we could not do her taxes without some type paperwork she gets all mad and loud accusing my coworker of calling her a liar. The office manger just happened to come back from lunch and tried to calm her down and told her that id she would bring in the returns from last year and if they matched her records that we would take care of her.
She lost last years returns but would go to XXXXXX where she got them done last year and bring them in tomorrow.
When she left we called XXXXXX and gave her name and description. She had done the same thing to them last year and they actually filed for her. Her return was rejected last year and she had already tried to file with them this year.
This was my 1st day and it was only a short 2 hour shift so I could get the feel of how they did things…
I have no doubt that I will have some interesting stories over the next couple months…
I will update this thread when I have something worth sharing. I will not give the name of the company though even though from what I have saw they are legit and we are told that if we do not feel comfortable with a client that we can use our discretion to refuse service.
Each preparer has to be registered and have to pass a due diligence test with the IRS and they can fine us $520 for each violation where we did not follow due diligence. One return could cost a preparer $1000’s of dollars because the fine is for each instance not each return.