 TITLE: Will Identity Theft Delay My Tax Refund? CONTENT: What to Do if You Discover Tax Identity Theft\n---------------------------------------------\nMany victims of tax identity theft don't discover the problem until they try to file their taxes. Receiving a message from the IRS website that you've already filed a return or receiving a notice in the mail that you've filed multiple returns for the year are classic signs of trouble. If you believe you've been the victim of tax identity theft or you've been notified by the IRS, follow these steps:\n*   **Contact the IRS Identity Protection.** You can reach them by phone at 800-908-4490 to open a case or get answers to any questions you may have.\n*   **Fill out IRS Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit.** You may also want to file this form with the IRS if you've been a victim of identity theft that does not involve the IRS or your taxes.\n*   **Verify your identity.** The IRS may send you letter 5071C, instructing you to verify your identity. You may be asked questions about past returns as part of the verification process.\n*   **Request a fraud alert****.** All three major credit reporting agencies (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) provide this option, and filing a fraud alert with any credit bureau will trigger them to notify the other two. Alternatively, adding a credit freeze to your account will prevent credit checks associated with new credit while the freeze is in place. If you want more advanced identity theft monitoring, protection and fraud resolution assistance, consider Experian IdentityWorksSM.\n*   **File a complaint with the FTC on IdentityTheft.gov.** You may also wish to file a report with your local police. END