Woman says tax return was given to imposter

ATLANTA — A woman who waited a year for her tax return says her nearly $4,000 check was given to an imposter.

The victim told Channel 2’s Diana Davis the loss is the latest in a series of problems that started with someone stealing her identity.

Dana Smith was in tears as she told Davis she’d been counting on her tax return for so long.

“I had been praying and praying, ‘Lord, please let it come. We got things (her family) we got to do, bills we got to take care of,” Smith said.

Smith says she waited a year for the IRS to issue the check after she says her identity was stolen.

Last week, she says her tax preparer mailed her a letter telling her they finally had the IRS check.

When Smith arrived at Advanced Tax Services to get it, she says the owner told her they'd given it to another woman.

She said it was a state ID from Georgia, that it looked real and that's why they gave the money away.

Smith says Advanced Services owner Cheryl Singleton offered no further explanation.

Davis wanted to get Singleton’s side of the story.

When Singleton didn't return her call, Davis went to the business on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive for answers. The door was locked and no one inside would speak to Davis.

Dana Smith has filed a report with Atlanta police.

It says the tax service owner claims her office called Smith's phone and told the man who answered that the check was in. The problem? Smith says it hasn't been her number for months.

She says the owner of the tax preparation service was not only rude, but unapologetic.

“She is rolling her eyes at me, she has an attitude with me. You did wrong to me. Your office did wrong to me,’ recalled Smith.

Smith says after a year of handling the identity theft and waiting for her money, this latest chapter has been another nightmare.

“The only thing I want is my money. I shouldn't have to wait anymore for something that is mine,” Smith said.

The IRS and Atlanta police are investigating. Meanwhile, Smith says the IRS will issue another check that could take another six weeks.

WSBTV