TROY, Mich. (WXYZ) — I've been following an identity theft dilemma with a tax season twist.
It all started with an Oxford Woman who reached out to the Scripps News Group for help. I was able to get the problem resolved, only to find out many others are in the same boat.
WATCH OUR PREVIOUS COVERAGE WITH OXFORD WOMAN WHO HAD IDENTITY STOLEN
It's all related to Cash App accounts opened up using their stolen personal information; almost all of these people have never had a cash app account.
"The exact same situation happened to me that you had reported in your story," said Nicole Mahoney of Troy.
“I was honestly shocked and confused," said Lindsey Olsen of Rochester Hills.
Nicole and Lindsey are among the two dozen people who emailed me following my March report on Monika Bailey, an Oxford Township woman who received five 1099-K forms from Block, Incorporated, the parent company of Cash App, even though she's never opened a Cash App account.
"And you don’t have a side gig or business where you use any peer-to-peer payment apps?" I asked Monika at the time.
"None," she replied.
Monika realized the Cash App accounts were opened up fraudulently using her stolen information: name, social security number and an old address. In all, the five accounts had taken in about $75,000!
I included in my initial report a statement from Cash App: "If you believe you have fallen victim to fraud or a scam, you should contact Cash App support through the app, website or by phone at 1-800-969-1940."
I noticed on Cash App's support page: 'Tax reporting for cash app and Form 1099-K FAQs'. Towards the bottom, the question 'what should I do if I receive a 1099 form but have never had a Cash App account?', adding below, 'If you tried reaching out to us before February 19, 2025 with respect to this issue, and we were unable to assist you at that time, please reach out to us again. We now have dedicated support to assist with this issue.'
I first emailed the media relations for Block, Incorporated, about Monika Bailey's case on February 19. All the identity theft victims who emailed me had already called the number before that date, with no luck. So, I encouraged all of them to call again.
"Well, they said basically the same thing, answer these few questions. I followed through on that. And once again, no follow through from them," Lindsey said.
Lindsey documented the frustrating experience. I emailed Block, Incorporated, on March 14th about her case, and within hours, Cash App emailed her that it was all resolved.
"I felt like a while weight had been lifted off my shoulders," Lindsey said when she found out the news on Friday night. "And I wanna really thank you for your support on this. It was a huge help."
Nicole also called the help line many times and is still waiting for the fradulent account opened with her stolen information to be closed.
"You didn't lose any money, but this was very unsettling because why?" I asked.
"These criminals set up these accounts and they're likely using it to swindle other people out. That $5,300 that got deposited in my name in that account came from somewhere," Nicole said.
"What I am now going to try to do is to hold Block accountable, to try to close as many of these fraudulent accounts as possible because apparently Monica Bailey is not the only victim here," I told her.
I will asked Block, Incorporated, to expedite the cases of everyone who reached out to me. I am still waiting for the company's response on what Cash App is doing to make this process easier for all identity theft victims needing fraudulently opened accounts closed, and new 1099-K's issued.
My inbox has never been flooded with so many emails asking for help on one particular issue like this. I even received an email from as far away as California.
