MEDIA ADVISORY: CCAGW to Host Capitol Hill Briefing on Stolen Identity Refund Fraud

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) will host a Congressional briefing and panel discussion to highlight the startling epidemic of Stolen Identity Refund Fraud, or SIRF. Each year, countless Americans are defrauded by a growing cabal of sophisticated criminals, who steal the identities of these unsuspecting victims and use their names to submit fraudulent tax returns. Not only are these scam artists getting away with millions at the expense of hard-working legitimate taxpayers, American taxpayers are expected to lose billions over the next five years, according to the IRS.

In two reports released today, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration revealed that SIRF continues to be a problem:

Report 1: Detection Has Improved: However, Identity Theft Continues to Result In Billions of Dollars in Potentially Fraudulent Tax Refunds

Report 2: Case Processing Delays and Account Errors Increased Hardship For Victims of Identity Theft

Details:
What:	Sit down luncheon and panel discussion on Stolen Identity Refund Fraud (SIRF), followed by a question and answer session for Congressional staff and media.
Who:	Christopher Lee, Senior Attorney, National Taxpayer Advocate
	Steven Toporoff, Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, Bureau of Consumer Protection (Federal Trade Commission)
	Paul Williams, Police Detective, Town of Davie, Florida and victim of Stolen Identity Refund Fraud
When:	November 12, 2013 at 12:00 Noon Eastern Time, Capitol Visitors Center SVC 201-00.
How:	This event will have limited capacity. Please RSVP to Alexandra Booze at [phone], or [e-mail]. For all media inquiries, please contact Alexandra.
	This event will be available to view live via streaming video. The link will be released in subsequent material.
	For further information regarding this event, visit http://ccagw.org/, or follow CCAGW on Facebook and Twitter.

About The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.