5 More Tax Preparers Barred From Filing Returns In Maryland

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Maryland officials have suspended five more tax preparers from filing income tax returns because of fraud concerns, which makes 14 total businesses barred from filing in the first two weeks of the tax season. State officials said the preparers were blocked because of a high volume of questionable returns received; three of the businesses are in Prince George's County, one is in the city of Baltimore and one is in Hagerstown.

"My agency is steadfastly committed to protecting Marylanders from fraudulent tax preparers," Comptroller Peter Franchot said in a news release Wednesday. "I want to thank my Questionable Returns Detection Team for its vigilance and dedication. It’s inexcusable for a tax preparer to knowingly submit false tax returns and we won’t stand for it."

The businesses were sent written notice of the action after they were identified by the comptroller's fraud unit. The agency has a review process that allows blocked preparers to have their filing privileges restored.

The newest tax preparers blocked from filing returns are:

• Family Benefit Financial Group, LLC,5860 Belair Rd, 2nd Floor, Baltimore
• C & A Financial Services, LLC, 44 N. Potomac Street, Hagerstown
• Millennium Consultant INT, Inc.,14120 Water Fowl Way, Upper Marlboro
• Hope Unlimited Tax Service,6310 Marlboro Pike, District Heights
• Big Ben Tax Service,9903 Rhode Island Ave, Suite A, College Park

In 2017, the Comptroller's Office blocked suspicious tax returns at 95 tax preparation businesses in 113 locations. Since taking office in 2007, the comptroller's team has identified and blocked more than 88,000 fraudulent returns and intercepted and denied $190.2 million worth of fraudulent refunds.

SEE ALSO: 2018 Income Tax Season: Filing Begins For Maryland

The first group of tax preparers blocked from filing returns are:

• Magino & Associates, 18943 Red Robin Terrace, Germantown
• 1-866MoblTax Inc., 4812 St. Barnabas Road, Suite 6, Temple Hills
• R & M Hannan LLC, 7751 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd., Glen Burnie
• Rhonda's Tax Service Inc., 5801 Allentown Road, Suite 303, Suitland
• A & R Tax Accounting Service Inc. (aka A R TAX AND ACCOUNTING INC), 47 Peabody St. NE, Washington, DC
• Tax Time, 3902 Ednor Road, Baltimore
• Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, 1912 Forest Drive, Annapolis
• Precise Tax and Accounting Service, 7521 New Hampshire Ave., Takoma Park

A complete list of all tax preparers blocked from filing returns is available at marylandtaxes.com. Taxpayers should carefully review their returns for these issues and should be suspicious if a preparer:

• Deducts fees from the taxpayer's refund to be deposited into the tax preparer's account.
• Does not sign the tax return.
• Fails to include the Preparer Taxpayer Identification number "P-TIN" on the return.

If taxpayers suspect fraud, they should immediately report the issue to the Comptroller's Office by calling 1-800-MD-TAXES (1-800-638-2937) or 410-260-7980 in Central Maryland or by emailing TAXHELP@comp.state.md.us.

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