Identity Theft and Tax Refund Fraud

Identity theft occurs when your personal information (such as name, Social Security number, or banking information) is taken without permission and used to commit crimes or fraud, including filing a fraudulent tax return. Criminals can steal your personal information online, by phone, or by email.

We take the time to make sure the right refund goes to the right customer by reviewing and verifying information on all tax returns. For more information, see Tax Refund Fraud FAQs (frequently asked questions).

Although software vendors transmit your return to us, we determine the validity of the return they submit. We may review or adjust your return even if you purchase audit protection from them.

The following resources has more information on how to protect yourself from identity theft:

• Identity Protection: Prevention, Detection and Victim Assistance from Internal Revenue Service
• Protect Your Financial Information from Minnesota Department of Commerce
• Recovering from Identity Theft from Federal Trade Commission

Report and recover from identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov.

If you think someone stole your identity and used it inappropriately for tax purposes:

• Contact us to put an identity theft flag on your Minnesota tax accounts
  • Email: individual.incometax@state.mn.us
  • Phone: 651-296-3781 or 1-800-652-9094
• Notify the Internal Revenue Service’s Identity Protection Specialized Unit
  • Visit: IRS's Identity Protection website for guidance and next steps
  • Phone: 1-800-908-4490

You can also place an identity theft flag on your driving record. For more information, visit Theft of Driver’s License or ID from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

Please contact us. Learn more about reporting tax evasion or tax fraud

You can remain anonymous, but your contact information is helpful if we need clarification or more details.