A Lee County woman, already coping with the loss of her mother, says she is now facing an unexpected issue — tax fraud.
Shannon Fibbe's mother, a former nurse and community volunteer, died in June of 2024. Fibbe intended to file her late mother's taxes on Valentine's Day.
However, when Fibbe went to the Internal Revenue Service to obtain an Identity Protection PIN required to access her mother’s tax information, she was met with a shock — the taxes had already been filed.
"They told me the taxes have already been filed, and you can imagine my face sitting there, like, what do you mean they’ve been filed?" Shannon said, still in disbelief. "I didn’t file them."
Fibbe said it all started on Valentine's Day.
She said H&R Block told her she needed an Identity Protection PIN to file the taxes with the company, one Fibbe's mother used.
When going to the IRS to request the pin, Fibbe said the IRS advised her mother’s tax return had already been filed and the refund — thousands of dollars — was claimed by an unknown person.
Fibbe was stunned.
"It’s kind of like a state of shock. She asked me, 'Are you sure? No one could have filed it?' I said, 'I can promise you no one in my family filed it,'" Shannon said.
After discovering the fraud, Shannon contacted the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, which looked into the case before passing it along to the IRS.
The IRS said it could not speak on Fibbe's case due to federal law restrictions, but the experience has left her frustrated. "The fact that I had to go into the IRS to find this out is just absurd," she said.
Gulf Coast News reached out to H&R Block. The company said it looked into the case and stopped the tax return transaction.
"Although this issue is not related to or a result of H&R Block, our District General Manager has been in contact with Ms. Fibbe and offered to help her file an Identity Theft Affidavit, Form 14039, with the IRS, and paper-file a return since the fraudulent return was accepted by the IRS," the company said.
Identity theft related to deceased individuals has become more common in recent years, according to Steven Phillips, managing partner at CCG Certified Public Accountants.
"We’ve seen an uptick in identity theft since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s causing major issues," Phillips said.
Phillips shared crucial tips to help individuals avoid falling victim to tax fraud and identity theft.
"Everybody is encouraged to go set up an IRS account on their own. The IRS has a website where you can actually see your own account," Phillips said.
He also recommended using secure emails and portals for sensitive information and never sharing personal details like Social Security numbers or bank accounts over the phone, especially in response to unsolicited calls. Phillips further noted that the IRS will never call to request your tax ID or Social Security number; legitimate communication always starts with official letters.
For victims like Fibbe's family, getting a stolen tax return back can be a long and difficult process.
"It's just going to be timing. It may take six months, eight months, two or three years. I've seen it take time. The government is really good about paying you what you're owed. You have to be patient," Phillips said.
For Fibbe, the ordeal is just beginning. She’s determined to fight for justice, but she hopes her story will serve as a warning for others.
"Inconvenient. Unexpected. Unacceptable," she said. "There should be better safeguards, especially for the deceased."