Public Safety
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Income Tax-Related Identity Theft Scams Down But Not Out: How to Protect Yourself

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The good news is that ID theft scams are less prevalent than they were in previous years. The bad news is that there’s plenty still around. Both the Internal Revenue Service and Better Business Bureau have (overlapping) advice about protecting yourself from scammers who want your personal information for identity theft and tax fraud. “Everyone should guard their personal information by protecting their computers and using extreme caution when viewing emails or getting surprise phone calls,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said. “We also encourage people to share this information with their friends and family,” he said.

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Two-Year Sentence for Tax-Fraud Schemer Who Must Repay $360,026

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A man arrested in Darien after he and some associates tried to deposit an $8,879 check at TD Bank has been sentenced to two years in prison and told to pay back $360,026.66 in restitution to victims.

Cesar Penson-Perez of New York City, who was 28 years old when he was arrested by Darien police in March 2014, participated in a tax-fraud scheme. Overall, Penson-Perez and his co-conspirators were responsible for the loss of more than $7.5 million from the U.S. Treasury, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Haven. The arrest

Penson-Perez and a conspirator tried to open a bank account with $40, but bank employees became suspicious when the signature of Penson-Perez’ co-conspirator didn’t match what the bank already had on file for the person in whose name the pair tried to use, according to a news report at the time. Darien police were called in, and when police called the Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Force, police were told the two were part of a larger conspiracy of thieves using Social Security numbers of Puerto Rico residents to file phony tax returns, according to the report. The scheme

The conspirators stole personal information that allowed them to file false tax returns for various individuals and get refund checks from the IRS.