There needs to be a special place in hell for these criminals. Hagit Limor reports:
The Internal Revenue Service is investigating a problem the I-Team brought to light after the agency rejected the tax returns of a Cincinnati couple, saying someone else already had claimed as a dependent the daughter they had just lost to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Further investigation showed at least eight families across the country experienced the same problem. All had met online on a parents’ grief website. They suspect someone was lurking, took their children’s names, found their social security numbers, which are published after death, and then claimed the children on their 2009 tax returns.
Read more on KYPost.com
This is NOT news. The IRS has known about this abuse of children’s numbers for years. What is new is that cybercriminals are taking advantage of social networking support groups. Even people talking about certain diseases together are at risk. Be aware that anything you share on the internet is public knowledge and criminals can put parts on information together and profile you.