Fraudsters file fake tax return as AG Eric Holder

[mfcorey1]

Not even the nation's top law-enforcement officer is safe from the growing number of fraudsters filing false tax returns based on stolen identities.

Two Georgia men filed a tax return with the name, birthday and Social Security number of Attorney General Eric Holder in hopes of getting his refund, according to federal prosecutors in Atlanta. Holder was one of several people targeted by Yafait Tadesse and Eyaso Abebe, both of whom have pleaded guilty to charges related to the scheme.

Fraudulent income tax returns are a growing problem that Holder's Justice Department is working to combat. Typically, perpetrators steal the personal information of victims, fill out returns that would entitle them to a refund, then file them electronically.

"Identity theft affects people from all walks of life, from hardworking taxpayers trying to make ends meet, to senior government officials," said Sally Quillian Yates, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.

A spokesman for Holder declined to comment on his case.

http://money.msn.com/tax-tips/post--fraudsters-file-fake-tax-return-as-ag-eric-holder

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1. It pays to know the names of important governmental and political figures.