Quote:
Originally Posted by JJ 911SC
+1, Just the name (California State Franchise Tax board) sound phoney.
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That is the actual name of the agency responsible for state income tax in California.
The fact that the OP was
first notified
by mail is also standard procedure for a legitimate audit/review. In fact, the Board warns people to be aware of any notifications that
have not been initiated by mail first. The information asked for is also directly relevant to the issue at hand--identity fraud--and the information can be transmitted via snail mail directly to the legitimate Franchise Tax Board. That information, save possibly the most recent check stubs, is already in their hands so sending it again is no risk to the OP.
The OP was probably a victim of someone filing for his return, online. By asking for
physical copies of the documents listed--drivers license, SS card, W2s and pay stubs, the office can know the
person responding is the legitimate filer. When filing online, one only needs to produce the
information from those documents which, of course, can be stolen from different sources and compiled to fill in the e-file forms, online.
Since I typically get a refund, I used to wait to the last minute to file my returns, but since the uptick on online fraud which results in someone "stealing" refunds, I have been filing as early as possible. I guess that's an upside.
Yes, a phone call would not hurt and is probably warranted in this age of fraud, but it is extremely likely that this is a legitimate review.