Tax season hot for identity thieves

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Tax refund fraud is at the highest it's been in recent years, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

Identity theft expert Matt Cullina says his company has seen an enormous increase in the amount of cases.

"It's more than a quarter of our overall identity theft cases or tax cases," said Cullina. "They've grown 400 percent over the last few years."

12 For Action has received many calls from people who tried to file their returns only to find out someone else already had.

Thieves obtain a persons name and social security number, then file their taxes without them even knowing it.

Tax fraud is a billion dollar problem. The inspector general's office found that there was roughly $5 billion in false tax returns paid out and that number could reach to more than $21 billion over the next five years.

"This is a playoff season for identity thieves," said Cullina. "We used to see fraud kicking up around the holiday season, now we're seeing tax season is probably a hotter season for identity thieves."