U.S. REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS HELPS ARIZONANS COLLECT UNCLAIMED TAX REFUNDS

Internal Revenue Service says 3,194 people in state have $4.7 million waiting to be claimed

TUCSON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords today urged Arizona taxpayers to see if the Internal Revenue Service has an unclaimed refund waiting for them.

“When people are told the IRS wants to give them money, they wonder if it is true,” said Giffords. “But these are real dollars that the federal government wants to return to real taxpayers – dollars that would be very helpful in these difficult economic times.”

According to the IRS, 3,194 people in Arizona are owed a total of $4,722,912. The average undelivered refund amount is $1,419 – and some taxpayers are due more than one check.

Giffords, on her website, has posted a list of Arizonans who are due a tax refund but who cannot be located by the IRS. According to the IRS, taxpayers who have an unclaimed refund probably moved after filing their tax returns. (To see the list of Arizonans who are owed money by the IRS, go here. Or to see the list as an Excel spreadsheet, go here.)

Nationwide, the IRS owes $164.6 million to nearly 112,000 taxpayers.

If a refund check has been returned to the IRS as undelivered, taxpayers should update their addresses with the “Where’s My Refund?” tool at IRS.gov. The tool also enables taxpayers to check the status of their refunds. A taxpayer must submit his or her Social Security number, filing status and amount of refund shown on their 2009 return. The tool will provide the status of their refund and, in some cases, instructions on how to resolve delivery problems.

While this is a legitimate attempt by the IRS to locate individuals who are due money, Giffords warned her constituents that there are scams out there that mimic the IRS efforts.

The IRS never sends emails to taxpayers telling them of a pending refund. Such messages are a common identify theft ploy. The IRS urges taxpayers not to release any personal information, not to reply to emails claiming to offer a refund and not to open any attachments or click on any links. Doing so may trigger a virus that will infect computers.

The best way to verify if you have a pending refund is to go directly to IRS.gov and use the “Where’s My Refund?” tool.

Date	RC#	Bill	Vote

12-1	595	H RES 1724	Yea

12-1	594	H RES 1217	Aye

12-1	593	H J RES 101	Nay

12-1	592	H RES 1430	Aye

12-1	591	H RES 1735	Aye

My Voting Record

Internal Revenue Service says 3,194 people in state have $4.7 million waiting to be claimed

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