Ella attempted to file her tax return and learned that someone had already filed a fraudulent return using her name. What first step should Ella initiate to correct the problems related to this identity theft?

Because the fraudulent return was filed using Ella’s information, the problem directly involves her tax account. She should contact the Internal Revenue Service and follow its process for reporting tax-related identity theft, which may include submitting an Identity Theft Affidavit (Form 14039). The FTC and police can also be relevant to identity theft, but the IRS is the first agency to address a fraudulent tax return.

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