Indianapolis, In. — The Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) has made a tremendous investment in protecting Hoosier’s identities and preventing refund fraud, stopping over $9.7 million in fraud in 2018. Since the program’s inception in 2014, DOR’s identity and refund fraud protection program has stopped over $119 million in refund theft.
“Through the deployment of the latest technology, partnerships with other revenue agencies and building an advanced team of fraud specialists, Indiana’s fraud program continues to deliver impressive results and is recognized as a national leader,” said DOR Commissioner Adam Krupp.
As the income tax return fraud program has matured, and return fraud has decreased each year due to advanced technologies, DOR staff continues to enact new prevention programs. The Schedule C verification program was the most impactful prevention program in 2018, followed by the excess withholding program.
Using similar data analytics, the excess withholding program identifies individuals who appear to have incorrectly reported their tax withholdings, either by error or in an attempt to get a larger refund. This program has identified and adjusted more than $1.1 million in excess refunds in 2018. In addition, the fraud team is examining prior year returns and making any identified adjustments.
“DOR’s role of protecting Hoosier identities and stopping refund fraud is integral to a successful tax program and this role is taken seriously,” said Commissioner Krupp. “DOR is proud of the fraud program and its results. Continuous improvement is fundamental to the growth of this program and in 2019, DOR will continue to exhibit new program enhancements while continuing to be a leader in stopping refund fraud throughout the nation.”
