Taxpayers can now see phony tax returns filed in their name

WASHINGTON - After learning that a fraudulent tax return has been filed in their name, taxpayers are often left to wonder how much of their personal information was stolen.

The IRS has long prevented identity theft victims from seeing copies of the phony returns filed in their name - which might give taxpayers an idea of how much of their personal information was compromised - citing privacy concerns. But that is changing now.

Taxpayers who have had fraudulent tax returns filed and accepted in their name can now request a copy of the fake return, according to instructions posted on the IRS's website. Victims will get redacted copies of the forms, but the documents should still include enough details to help taxpayers figure out how much of their personal information was stolen.

For instance, street addresses for the primary taxpayer listed on the return will be blacked out except for the street name, which may give a taxpayer a sense of whether their actual address was included in the return. Names will be removed, except for the first four letters, or fewer, of the last name. And Social Security numbers and bank account numbers will be mostly redacted except for the last four digits.

To receive a copy of the return, taxpayers need to write a letter to the IRS providing their name, address, Social Security number, and proof of identity, such as a copy of a driver's license. The IRS said it will acknowledge requests within 30 days and respond within 90 days.

Identity theft has been a major issue for taxpayers this year, including an apparent spike in suspicious tax returns and several breaches exposing sensitive personal information. During the filing season, some state and federal tax authorities noticed an alarming trend: Many of the fraudulent and suspicious returns being filed included details about income and employment history that made it clear the fraudsters had gained access to previous years' tax returns.

And in May, the IRS announced that hackers attacking its website accessed old tax records for more than 100,000 taxpayers and made hundreds of thousands of failed attempts for other records. A separate hack of a government database reported in the summer exposed the personal information of at least 22.1 million consumers.