The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is examining how fraudulent tax returns were filed in 19 states through tax-preparation software TurboTax, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person with knowledge of the matter.
In particular, the FBI is focusing on whether a computer data breach allowed access to personal identity information and whether the information was obtained from TurboTax, developed by Intuit Inc, or some other source, the Journal reported. (on.wsj.com/1AVfeLa)
A dozen TurboTax users said fake federal tax returns were filed in their names, the report said.
"Intuit has not been notified, nor are we aware, that we are the target of an FBI investigation," Intuit spokeswoman Julie Miller said in an email to Reuters.
Intuit has said its tax-preparation software TurboTax had resumed electronic filing of state tax returns late Friday following a temporary halt a day earlier after noticing attempts to use stolen identity information to file fraudulent returns and claim refunds.
After an investigation by a third-party security expert, the company said the fraudulent returns did not result from a breach of its own systems and that it was adding additional security measures to combat fraudulent activities.
Minnesota's revenue department said on Friday it had stopped accepting tax returns submitted via TurboTax, but would continue to accept those filed through Intuit's professional tax preparation products such as Lacerte, Intuit Tax Online and ProSeries.
