A number of Eastern Illinois University employees have reported that their tax returns were not accepted by the IRS because their Social Security numbers have already been used to file individual returns. There is no indication that an information breach occurred at the university; University data are encrypted so as to be unintelligible to unauthorized readers.
We will continue to investigate this issue. University employees with a similar experience should call the Office of the Vice President for Business Affairs at 581-2921.
Information on identify theft with respect to the IRS is available at www.irs.gov.
The IRS has identified tax refund fraud as an area of emphasis: http://www.irs.gov/Individuals/How-Do-You-Report-Suspected-Tax-Fraud-Activity%3F
Media reports indicate tax refund fraud has occurred this spring at other universities.