Beware when filing taxes in S.C.

Since the Department of Revenue security breach occurred, there has been much effort to have taxpayers sign up for Experian’s credit monitoring. But what if the breach leads to tax fraud?

In Florida in 2012, an employee-purchase program run by Purchasing Power LLC for Winn-Dixie resulted in the theft of personal data (Burrows v. Purchasing Power LLC). When the employee tried to file his taxes, he was informed that he had already filed. He was due a refund from the state, but it had already been paid out under a fraudulent return.

What safeguards can the Revenue Department put in place to prevent similar fraudulent filings of tax returns in South Carolina?

There are serious questions for S.C. taxpayers to consider: Do you have your bank account linked to your tax return? Do you file electronically? Will you get a refund via electronic transfer or through the mail?

At this stage, I would like to have my refund sent to my permanent address through the U.S. Postal Service, not paid electronically.

This is not a hypothetical problem. It has already happened. Please help to bring the focus of the security breach to the next potential big problem for all S.C. residents.

Barnaby Page

Hilton Head