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What is tax-related data theft?

Tax-related data theft occurs when someone uses various techniques to disguise an email to appear as if it is from an organizational executive.  The email is sent to an employee in an organization's payroll or human resources office requesting a list of all employees and their Form W-2s.

What are the warning signs?

  • DOR records indicate that we received a tax return with fraudulent wage information.
  • More than one tax return was filed using a SSN from one of your employees.
  • More than one of your employees received an identity confirmation letter IA or ID stating that their identity may have been used to claim a fraudulent refund from DOR.

How do I report data loss?

If your organization experiences a data loss, send an email to DOR at identitytheft@ky.gov with the following information:

  • the business name
  • the business EIN
  • a contact name
  • the contact's phone number
  • a summary of how the data loss occurred (if known)
  • the number of employees impacted (if known)

Do not include any taxpayer sensitive information.

Report Tax Fraud

If you suspect or know of an individual or business that is not complying with the tax laws, please let us know.

​Report Tax Fraud​

Protect Your Identity

The Department of Revenue is working hard to protect you and your data.  But there ​are many things you can do to protect yourself and your personal information.  Here are several excellent resources for preventing identity theft.

Federal Trade Commission

Identity Theft Resource Center

IRS Security Awareness Tax Tips


Download the Taxpayer Bill of Rights

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