First Person: Meet My Tax Doppelganger

It began when my 2005 tax refund didn't arrive. I called the IRS helpline listed in my tax documents hoping for a simple update. Instead, I opened a can of worms.

It appeared I owed taxes on a personal tax return, which I had not filed. For privacy reasons, the IRS would only agree to disclose the reported earnings to me-but not the name of the person who filed the tax return using my social security number or his contact information.

Luckily, the reported earnings had all come from a horse racing track in Philadelphia. I searched the internet for contact information and called the race track. It was an odd conversation, which baffled a few secretaries, until I was passed on to someone in charge.

Again, for privacy reasons, no information could be disclosed to me about another person's earnings. However, once I faxed over a copy of my social security number, the race track agreed to send me a letter confirming the earnings for my social security number. In this way, I learned the name of the person who filed the false tax return. It was my maiden name.

With this information, I called the IRS again to prove that I did not owe back taxes. Then began a long procession of calls and transfers, long holds and disconnections. In despair, I turned to an accountant for advice. Though his fees were high, he did help resolve my tax doppelganger horror story by contacting the Tax Payer Advocate Office.

The Tax Payer Advocate Office is a government agency that acts as a middleman between the IRS and citizens who are unable to resolve tax issues through the normal channels. Because the advocates are government employees, their services are free to the public. At first, the tax advocate who assisted me was skeptical of my story, but the research I had done quickly convinced her that fraud or a mistake lay at the heart of the problem. Obtaining a copy of the tax return in question, she was able to contact the office which submitted the erroneous tax return. Though for privacy reasons I was never told exactly what happened, the necessary corrections were made and the matter was closed.

Clearing up my tax doppelganger horror story was time consuming, expensive and frustrating. To others faced with a confusing tax problem, I recommend doing as much research as possible to validate the story, then contacting the Tax Advocate Office via email or calling them at 1-877-777-4778.

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