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Identity Theft Indicator

1 min read


1 min read


IRS Definition

In situations where a taxpayer makes an allegation of identity theft or when the IRS initially suspects that identity theft may have occurred, IRS functions will apply an identity theft indicator. The identity theft tracking indicator alerts others that a claim of identity theft has been reported.

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An identity theft indicator is a code or marker the IRS places on your account to show that your personal information was stolen and to help prevent future tax refund fraud. If you report identity theft to the IRS, the IRS will send you a notice informing you that it placed the indicator on your IRS account to monitor activity and help prevent fraud.

Once this indicator is on your IRS account, you’ll receive a new identity protection personal identification number (IP PIN) every year to file your tax return.

Learn how to address tax identity theft.

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