Tuit, I think if they are accusing you of fraud or tax evasion, scared is the right way to be. But for a situation like this, talking to someone is nothing to be scared of. Then he can decide if he needs some expert help. I've dealt with them, they acted like normal people, not the stuff you see on 60 minutes. But - if you avoid them, it is a different story.
Yeah Breeze I've heard they are more people friendly. I would never avoid the IRS, but I can't promise that I wouldn't pee my pants if I to go to their office! LoL Tuit
Hahaha!! I was petrified. But I got this nice gal about 28 yrs old - she was just an accountant with a government job!! She met me at the pizza hut and we had breadsticks in the middle of the afternoon. I told her my story - which wasn't elaborate - it was so dumb she knew it had to be true, hahaha! Then she made an appt. for me to bring my stuff downtown to the Federal Bldg. When she gave a deadline for having certain information, she meant it, but then I had a problems locating some of the info. I called and told her - she was fine with it. It's kind of like cops - if you act like you're avoiding them or hiding something, they can get mean, but if you level with them, they are fine. They aren't looking to put anyone in jail, they just want their money. I think they did away with the "seize assets and then investigate" approach after all that bad publicity. After my hubby died, I dated an IRS agent for a few months. He was afraid to tell people what he did for a living because most people reacted by not having anything to do with him. He was very nice, but not my type, hehe.
It's true you can't get a credit report from 3 years ago. However, if you did have such a serious problem 3 years ago, it should have been reported at around that time. And the negative information would remain for 7 years and should still show on your credit reports at present. Pull all of your credit reports (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) now. If none of them show the alleged debt/chargeoff, this can support (if not prove) that this debt was not yours. Since this debt isn't yours, there are really only a few likely possibilities. 1. A creditor mistake attributing a debt to you. 2. Purposeful fraud on the part of the creditor. 3. Identity theft - someone got credit in your name, charged it up, blew it off, and let you take the fall without you even knowing it until now. When you speak with the IRS, ask them for a copy of the 1099 in question, since you know nothing about this debt. The IRS has information about EVERYBODY, so get all the information about the creditor from them that they can legally give you. Investigate to see if it is an error or fraud on the part of the "creditor". Also, find out the address the 1099 was supposedly sent to. If it is your name or SSN on the 1099, but not your correct address (for example), you might be able to determine if you have been a victim of identity theft. My own experience with the IRS on the phone (I had past due taxes) is that they are friendly and eager to help resolve your situation. One final note: Look through your tax filings from the past few years. It might be worth questioning why they didn't catch what appears to be a substantial omission a few years ago. Good luck and let us know how it goes. -ingenue
Ibrown59, You're looking at this the wrong way. If Tim is a vitum of ID fraud, he ought to be grateful to the IRS for bringing it to his attention. Now, he knows he needs to start ordering credit reports to make sure nothing else has happened and prehaps, place a fraud alert on his accounts with the CRA's. If this truely isn't his debt, it'll be the easiest thing in the world to clear up.
