If you've experienced one of the following, this may be an indication your Social Security number or other personal information may have been used by another person without your permission for employment purposes. If you don't already have an Identity Protection PIN, we recommend you use the Get An IP PIN tool in order to protect your tax account from tax related identity theft. The IP PIN authenticates you as the valid filer of the return. You receive IRS notice CP01E, Employment Related Identity Theft, stating you may be the victim of employment-related identity theft; You receive IRS notice CP2000, Request for Verification of Unreported Income, Payments, or Credits, listing wages you didn't earn; You receive IRS notice CP2057, Check Your Records to Confirm the Income You Received, regarding a potential income discrepancy and the questionable income is directly related to wages that were not earned by you; You receive a Form W-2 or Form 1099 from an employer for whom you didn't work; You receive a notice from the Social Security Administration (SSA) stating that your Social Security benefits have been adjusted/denied because of wages you didn't earn or; You receive a Social Security Statement from SSA showing more income than you've earned. What you should do: If you received a CP01E Notice: The notice is for informational purposes only and it doesn't impact your tax account. Because of the financial and credit risks associated with identity theft, IRS is providing you with additional steps to proactively protect your financial and credit accounts in the event that your social security number was used for other purposes as well (See section below, Steps you should take if…) Although the Employment Related Identity Theft has not impacted your tax account at this time, if you need additional information on the impact to your tax account you should contact the IRS at the number listed on the CP01E Notice. If you received a CP2000 Notice listing wages you didn't earn: The notice is a notification of a pending assessment of additional tax, due to unreported income. Don't include the income on your tax return or file an amended return if the additional income identified on the "CP2000 Notice" was not earned by you or your spouse (if filing jointly). If the income identified is not yours, contact the IRS immediately at the telephone or fax number listed on the CP2000 notice. If you received a CP2057 Notice and the questionable income is directly related to wages that were not earned by you: The notice is for informational purposes only and doesn't impact your tax account. Don't contact the IRS. However, you may wish to take additional steps to protect your identity and personal information. If you received a Form W-2 or Form 1099 from an unknown employer: Don't include the income on your tax return or file an amended return. Contact the Social Security Administration. They'll review your earnings with you to ensure their records are correct. Allow several weeks for the SSA to update their records. You may wish to take additional steps to protect your identity and personal information. If you receive a notice from the SSA stating your Social Security benefits have been adjusted/denied because of wages you didn't earn or; You receive a Social Security Benefits Statement from the SSA showing more income than you've earned: Contact the Social Security Administration. They'll review your earnings with you to ensure the records are correct. You may review earnings on your online Social Security Benefits Statement. Workers, age 18 and older, may create an account to review their benefits statements. Steps you should take if you know or suspect you're the victim of employment-related or other form of identity theft: Place a free one-year fraud alert on your credit reports by contacting any one of the three nationwide credit reporting companies online or through their toll-free numbers. The bureau you contact must tell the other two. Equifax: 800-525-6285 Experian: 888-397-3742 Trans Union: 800-680-7289 File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Full guidance is available at the FTC, What To Do Right Away. If you are unable to file your tax return because another person has already filed a return under your SSN. See the IRS Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft for additional guidance. You have the option to submit a Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit online, or by printing Form 14039 PDF which can then be mail or faxed to report the problem. As stated previously on this page, you may also want to consider obtaining an identity protection PIN (IP PIN) to protect your account against tax related identity theft. The IP PIN authenticates you as the valid filer of the return. If you do not currently have an IP PIN, Go to Get an IP PIN for more information on how you can apply to receive one. For additional IRS-based information on identity theft, visit Identity Theft Central.
