Tax fraud

BSI SA, a Swiss private bank, admitted helping customers duck taxes by using coded language, nameless debit cards and fake identities as part of a landmark $211 million accord to avoid U.S. prosecution.

A former Credit Suisse Group AG banker and a Swiss trust firm founder who pleaded guilty were spared prison after helping the U.S. government build a $2.6 billion criminal tax case against the bank.

Some of our favorite recent tax fraud cases.

A federal grand jury indicted a Brooklyn tax preparer, charging him with 31 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false federal income tax returns.

In a tax season plagued with identify theft and tax fraud, a new method of online criminal activity has been identified.

Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen met with the heads of some of the major tax software companies, tax preparation chains, state tax commissioners and other officials in an effort to combat the growing problem identity theft and tax fraud.

The use of captive insurance by U.S. companies to manage costs and risks and realize tax benefits has been a legitimate activity for years. However, the IRS has recently focused significant audit resources on small and mid-market companies that are forming small or “micro” captive insurance companies.

The Internal Revenue Service is sending letters to verify the identity of taxpayers as part of its effort this tax season to combat the growing problem of identity theft.

This week’s edition of the Blotter includes not just our usual collection of preparer-related fraud, but also a chilling story about a preparer whose clients turned violent.

The owner of a New Jersey tax prep business was sentenced to six months in prison followed by six months of home confinement for willfully preparing false tax returns for clients.

Taxpayers are willing to go through more steps when preparing their tax returns, such as confirming their identifications and proving additional documentation, if it can help combat tax fraud and identity theft, according to a new survey.

A Kalamazoo, Mich., tax preparer who billed herself as the “#1 Tax Lady” has been indicted on multiple counts of tax fraud.

Some of our favorite recent tax fraud cases.

The Internal Revenue Service issued a consumer alert Friday warning taxpayers to beware of tax preparers who tell clients to give them their health insurance payments.

The Senate Finance Committee heard testimony Thursday about the increasing prevalence of tax scams and identity theft, with senior citizens finding themselves especially vulnerable to callers impersonating Internal Revenue Service employees.

A married couple who are partners in a Louisiana tax preparation service are also allegedly partners in crime, according to prosecutors.

The Internal Revenue Service generally has adequate processes in place to prevent inadvertent disclosures of taxpayer information to unauthorized people, but it also understates the number of inadvertent disclosures it makes, according to a new government report.

Criminal prosecutions by the Internal Revenue Service appear to be timed to coincide with tax season, according to a new analysis.

Tax season isn't supposed to be fun. But if your civic duty feels extra unpleasant this year, you're not imagining things. Here are four reasons this tax season really is the worst:

Intuit Inc., maker of tax-preparation software TurboTax, said that it has received information requests from the U.S. government following its decision to temporarily halt state tax filing due to fraudulent activity.