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By Richard Rubin - Tue May 08 04:01:00 GMT 2012

Lisa Watters via Bloomberg

Benny Watters, 5, died in September 2010 from a brain tumor. A thief stole his identity on the Internet after his death.

Benny Watters, 5, died in September 2010 from a brain tumor. A thief stole his identity on the Internet after his death. Source: Lisa Watters via Bloomberg

May 8 (Bloomberg) -- Megan Hughes reports on fraudulent tax returns related to identity theft. More than 460,000 people have been the victims of tax-related identity theft since 2008, according to the IRS. The agency has been trying to flag deceased taxpayers final returns and prevent anyone else from using those Social Security numbers. As of mid-March, the agency had stopped 66,000 returns this year for that reason.(Source: Bloomberg)

Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Senator Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, has sonspored legislation that would limit access to the Death Master File.

Senator Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, has sonspored legislation that would limit access to the Death Master File. Photographer: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Benny Watters, 5, died of a brain tumor in September 2010. Ten months later, when his parents sought to file their taxes and claim him as a dependent, they found that an identity thief already had done so, using government data about Bennys death on a fraudulent return.

Continued here:
Tax Cheats Troll Public List for Dead Kids’ Identities