A LOCAL WOMAN SAYS SOMEONE AT H&R BLOCK STOLE HER ID, FILED A FAKE RETURN AND TOOK OFF WITH $4000.
LIKE MANY IN MICHIGAN MARIA MENDOZA WAS COUNTING ON HER TAX REFUND TO GET HER THROUGH THESE TOUGH TIMES.
SHE PLANNED TO USE THE MONEY TO PAY BILLS AND CARE FOR HER GRAND KIDS.
BUT NOW SHE’S BEHIND ON HER MORTGAGE AND TRYING TO FIND OUT HOW THIS HAPPENED.
MARIA MENDOZA SAYS H&R BLOCK HAS BEEN PREPARING HER TAX RETURNS FOR YEARS.
Maria Mendoza/victim of ID fraud: “Probably the past 10 or so years.”
BUT THIS YEAR SHE PLANNED TO DO THEM HERSELF.
SO WHEN SHE GOT A CALL FROM H&R BLOCK SAYING SHE
NEEDED TO COME BACK TO THE OFFICE TO TAKE CARE OF SOME PAPERWORK WITH THIS YEAR’S RETURN SHE WAS STUNNED SINCE SHE HADN’T BEE IN THIS YEAR.
Maria Mendoza: “I was shocked. I said I wasn’t in.”
IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG FOR THE COMPANY AND MARIA TO REALIZE SOMEONE ELSE HAD FILED HER TAXES USING INFORMATION FROM A PREVIOUS YEAR’S TAX RETURN.
Maria Mendoza: “I can’t believe it happened. You think that your information is safe and it’s not.”
SO WHY FILE A TAX RETURN IN SOMEONE ELSE’S NAME? TO GET INSTANT ACCESS TO THEIR REFUND. WHEN H&R BLOCK PREPARES YOUR TAXES, FOR A FEE YOU CAN GET A DEBIT CARD. THE CARD IS BASICALLY A LOAN IN THE AMOUNT OF YOUR REFUND AND CAN BE USED IMMEDIATELY AT MOST ATM’S. THE LOAN IS REPAID WHEN THE IRS RELEASES YOUR REFUND TO H&R BLOCK.
WHOEVER FILED THE FALSE RETURN IN MARIA’S NAME HAD ABOUT $4000 ON A H&R BLOCK DEBIT CARD...AND WITHDREW IT ALL IN JUST TWO DAYS.
Maria Mendoza: “I filed a police report for identity theft.”
THE WOODHAVEN POLICE ARE STILL INVESTIGATING AND CAN’T COMMENT. BUT THEY SAY THE TAX RETURN WAS FILED BEFORE THE H&R BLOCK OFFICE OPENED FOR BUSINESS.
MARIA WANTS ANSWERS AND HIRED AN ATTORNEY.
Adam Taub/Attorney: “It appears that it was somebody who knew what they were doing, who knew the system at H&R Block and was able to do this very, very quickly.
ATTORNEY ADAM TAUB REPRESENTS VICTIMS OF IDENTITY THEFT.
Adam Taub: “…this is a terrible violation of her personal financial privacy.”
TAUB SAYS HE WANTS H&R BLOCK TO RESOLVE THIS FOR MARIA QUICKLY.
Adam Taub: “…all the people that had to be asleep at the switch for this to happen it’s mind boggling.
MARIA SAYS SHE HASN’T SLEPT MUCH SINCE THIS HAPPENED. SHE WORRIES ABOUT WHAT OTHER DAMAGE COULD BE DONE IN HER NAME. AND SHE CAN’T EVEN FILE HER REAL TAX RETURN.
SHE TRIED ONLINE AND THE IRS REJECTED IT SAYING IT ALREADY HAS THIS YEAR’S RETURN…ALSO, SHE CAN’T GET THE $4000 REFUND SHE WAS DESPARATELY COUNTING ON TO PAY BILLS AND CARE FOR HER FAMILY.
Maria Mendoza: “I take care of my grand children a lot and help support them. So, that money is a big, big, was going to be a big part of our lives.”
H&R BLOCK DECLINED TO GO ON CAMERA BUT IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT SAID THEY’RE “WORKING DILIGENTLY WITH LOCAL AUTHORITIES”, THAT THIS IS AN “ISOLATED CASE” AND THEY HAVE RELIEVED MARIA OF “ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS DEBT” ON THE H&R BLOCK DEBIT CARD.
IDENTITY THEFT EXPERTS SAY WE’RE ALL VULNERABLE AND NEED TO PROTECT OUR PERSONAL INFORMATION. THE BEST WAY IS TO CHECK YOUR CREDIT REPORT ONCE A YEAR FOR ANY LOANS OR OTHER CREDIT TAKEN OUT IN YOUR NAME.
FOR HOW TO GET A FREE CREDIT REPORT GO TO https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
