ARKANSAS, USA — It's that time of year again as the state of Arkansas is giving out its annual tax refunds. However, it may take the state's Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) a little longer to get your return back because of possible tax fraud.
"What we want Arkansans to understand, you know, there are times when it takes us a little longer for us to process a return or a refund," Scott Hardin with the DFA said. "The reason for that is we're simply making sure that there's no fraud involved because if someone gets a social security number and a birthday, they may try to file a false tax return in the name of an Arkansan. When we receive that return, we're going to cross-check it with information we have in-house we're going to cross-check it just to ensure that everything matches up."
Hardin says this year they've been able to crack down on it.
"Our IT team really works to stay ahead of the different ways that they're trying to do that. And, thankfully, I mean, they're doing a good job," he said. "Again, it may take an extra couple of days, but this year, it's really, I think, so far, so good."
If fraud does happen to you, Hardin says it's not your fault and he believes his team will catch it.
"If someone is making a fraudulent effort to file in your name, and it lands here, you know that many times that's no fault of your own," he said. "In most of the cases, we're going to catch."
Many accountants across the state, including Miesha Campbell at H&R Block in Fort Smith, work tirelessly to make sure you get your refund back, and she advised on how to prevent your information from being taken.
"Be vigilant about where you're putting your information. I mean, people are not always as secure with their security number and their name and they need to be that way," Campbell said.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.