Trending Now

U.S. Gov. Threatens Couple Caught In Scam, "There Is No Identity Theft With the IRS"

U.S. Gov. Threatens Couple Caught In Scam, "There Is No Identity Theft With the IRS"

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is threatening to garnish the wages of an Iowa couple who got caught in an employment scam in the State of California.

The Des Moines-based couple, Steven and Gloria Clark, were getting ready to close on the purchase of a new home in July 2021 when they received a letter from the IRS stating that Steven had received $30,900 in unemployment benefits from California.

Local Iowa news station KCCI reported:

"It was kind of shocking," Clark said. "Because I've never been to California."

On top of never visiting the state, he never applied for unemployment there or in Iowa and, of course, never received it.

The IRS wanted the taxes on the unemployment, $5,791.84 as of November [2021]...

Although the IRS has now reduced the debt owed to approximately $3,800, Gloria told KCCI, "One of the issues I have was that we todl them [the IRS] that we never lived there [in California], that we had our identity stolen. Their response back was there was no identity theft with the IRS."

The couple has attempted to fight the threat of wage garnishment and other IRS action by filing a report with the Des Moines Police Department.

However, as the local report noted:

California's Employment Development Department, EDD, has admitted to paying out more than $20 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims throughout the pandemic. To put that into perspective, that is more than double the state budget of Iowa.

California 10th District Congressman Josh Harder (D) has gone to bat for the Clark family and other victims of unemployment fraud.

He said, "These people did nothing wrong. The fact that the unemployment office is expecting people in Iowa to navigate a bureaucracy in California when they're a victim makes no sense whatsoever." At this time, the Clark family plans to continue fighting wage garnishment and other IRS threats.

share this post
Rebekah Barton

Rebekah Barton

Rebekah's search engine optimization career began completely by accident as a college student. Over the course of her career so far, she has "grown up" with the SEO industry, from writing content while juggling classes to managing her own teams of writers and overseeing SEO strategy in subsequent roles. She is excited to bring her passion for high-quality content to CountingWorks, Inc.

Firm Avatar
Taxbuzz Verified
Ward's Accounting Service, Inc.

2 reviews

Bronx Enrolled Agent Bernell Ward

Bernell Ward, EA is a tax preparer based in Bronx, NY. His firm, Ward's Accounting Service, provides tax preparation and accounting services for small businesses.

They also specialize in tax resolution services. Get help with your income tax problems! Do you owe back taxes? Do you have Unfiled returns? Under Audit? Ward's Accounting Service can help!

In addition to his Enrolled Agent designation, he is also a Notary Public and a NTPI Fellows.
Additional Information
Service Lines
Tax Preparation
Tax Planning
Accounting
Bookkeeping
Business Consulting
Payroll & HR
Tax Problems
Tax Preparation
Industry Focus
Architects and Designers
C Suite
Contractors
Doctors and Medical Professionals
Dentists
Doctors and Medical Professionals
Educators
Sports Entertainment
Expats
Fire & safety
Transportation & Trucking
Uber and Lyft
Doctors and Medical Professionals
Transportation & Trucking
Realtor & Real Estate Professionals
Restaurants
Sales Representatives
Waiters and Waitresses
Military
Lawyers & Attorneys
Engineers
Freelancer
View All View Less

Need help selecting a firm?

Tell us about your project and get introduced to the best accounting and tax firm for your needs.

See additional top-rated professionals near Bronx, New York
KENNETH PORTERA & ASSOCIATES LLC
Kenneth Portera & Associates LLC is an Enrolled Agent tax practice based in East Brunswick, New Jersey. Kenneth Portera & Associates LLC can assist you with your tax return preparation and planning needs.
E. Forker & Associates, Llc
Hi, I'm Ed Forker, Jr. - Enrolled Agent. I've been an accountant and tax professional for over 25 years. I have assisted clients with tax matters ranging from tax planning, to tax compliance and small business planning and consulting. In 1980 I started my accounting career with a large Fortune 500 company based in Edison, NJ. After several years of progressive experience and senior management roles I then moved to Tampa, Florida to start my own small business venture (a chain of ice cream and yogurt stores) and continued my accounting practice in the Tampa Bay area. I have worked with some of the largest and most prominent accounting firms in both Florida and New Jersey. During that time, I practiced tax consulting, business planning, and tax compliance in such areas as manufacturing, real estate, restaurants, professional service firms and the financial services profession as well as emerging and small businesses. I am a member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents and the NJ Society or Enrolled Agents. Also, I am a proud member of the Marlton, NJ Rotary Club. I received my B.A. from Mt. St. Mary’s University in Emmittsburg, MD in 1980. Our firm specializes in accounting and tax preparation services for a wide variety of clients. We specialize in: Tax return filing and tax planning for individuals IRS and State Representation - Nationwide Bookkeeping and financial statements for small businesses Corporate tax return filing and tax coaching for businesses Merchant Credit Card Processing Business Plans Business Formations - Sole Proprietorships, Partnerships, LLC, LLP, S-Corp, C-Corp, Non Profits or Ltd. Payroll Processing - for 1 to 100 employees we take the stress out of doing payroll
Curth Wagner & Associates, Llc.
4.6
Curth Wagner And Associates is a Tax Firm based in Salt Lake City, UT. can assist you with your tax return preparation and planning needs.

In the face of economic uncertainty, TaxBuzz is the industry's most up-to-date tax information.

Join 60,000 who get our weekly newsletter. No spam.

Need help selecting a firm?

Use our specialized search engine and get matched to the best accounting and tax firm for your needs.

Related Posts

Latest Posts