The IRS has a long tradition of working closely with the software industry and state tax administrators to combat refund fraud. We remain in close contact with these groups. Preventing and detecting identity theft and refund fraud remains a top priority for the IRS. We have added and strengthened protections in our systems this filing season, and we continue to make important progress in stopping identity theft and other fraudulent refunds. The IRS continues to accept and process tax returns and refunds, and the filing season has started successfully. Through Jan. 31, the IRS had accepted more than 14 million returns and issued 7.6 million refunds. Taxpayers should continue to file their tax returns as they normally would. Additional background information: Identity Theft Information for Taxpayers and Victims Identity Protection Tips
