# Don't Be The Victim of a "Ghost" Tax Return Preparer



## SeaBreeze (Feb 9, 2019)

My husband has always done our tax returns, and those of his parents when they were alive.  If I ever need to use a tax preparer, I will be very careful to make sure they are reputable and legitimate.   IRS



> IR-2019-09, February 7, 2019
> 
> 
> WASHINGTON – Today, towards the end of the second full week of the  2019 tax filing season, the Internal Revenue Service warned taxpayers to  avoid unethical tax return preparers, known as ghost preparers.
> ...


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## Don M. (Feb 9, 2019)

That sounds like the kind of "tax preparer" that Debudon used....when she was still posting here.  Anyone who has a computer, and is at all savvy, can quickly do their own taxes with programs like Turbotax or H&R Block software, and for a lot less than any "accountant" will charge.  This time of year, many stores, like Walmart, have kiosks where people can get their taxes done, in person, by a reputable company.


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## SeaBreeze (Feb 9, 2019)

Don M. said:


> That sounds like the kind of "tax preparer" that Debudon used....when she was still posting here.  Anyone who has a computer, and is at all savvy, can quickly do their own taxes with programs like Turbotax or H&R Block software, and for a lot less than any "accountant" will charge.  This time of year, many stores, like Walmart, have kiosks where people can get their taxes done, in person, by a reputable company.



I agree, the guy Deb was using didn't sound very Kosher, IMO.  I've seen those folks at Walmart who do taxes for customers, I always thought they didn't look very professional, and I doubted I'd want to do such a personal thing in a Walmart store....but never say never.


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## Geezerette (Feb 10, 2019)

Here the public libraries have the main tax forms & instruction booklets available free . It's a whole new ball game this year. If you do them yourself, or spouse does, very worth studying up on before going to any QUALIFIED preparer or attempting it on line.


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## Buckeye (Feb 10, 2019)

The folks in the local Walmart work for Jackson Hewitt.  JH and Block and Liberty seem to have changed their business model from making money by doing returns, to making money on "refund advances".  I looked into buying a Liberty franchise 8 or 9 years ago, and that was my takeaway.  I've used turbotax for a number of years, and it does an okay job for straight forward returns, but if you have a more complex return because of, oh say, rental property or significant capital gains/losses, I suggest you find a qualified Accountant to do your return to minimize the tax bite.  

Hoot, MBA/CPA


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