Letter from PTIN Center

[S T]

IRS Newswire

Not that it solves any issues, but IRS Newswire released Issue Number IR-2011-74 today, which is exactly what this discussion is all about. Terminology "ghost preparers"

In case you didn't receive in your email here is the link http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/...241931,00.html

Not addressing why fully registered preparers are receiving the notice - other than maybe your PTIN or ID # has been linked to a "Ghost"

Sandy

[taxea]

Any luck with those additional numbers? Perhaps you could pass them along and save us the intermediate steps. I still haven't gotten through to the PTIN people!

GOOGLE this: 100,000 Tax Preparers Didn’t Follow New PTIN Rules
and subscribe to the IRS NewsLetter...

[appelman]

Maybe I'm just suspicious,

but I suspect that an awful lot of those 100,000 letters are totally bogus!

[taxea]

but I suspect that an awful lot of those 100,000 letters are totally bogus!

I am wondering whether they include preparers who applied and have not received a PTIN yet. I don't know whether the IRS is still behind on issuing the manually filed apps.

As for non preparers they are trying to catch the ones who are charging for the prep and not signing the return. I suspect the IRS sent letters to the taxpayers who have had their returns done in past years and in 2010 filed self-prepared "professional looking" returns. Or maybe the preparer who did not sign the return was dumb enough to use their EFIN # to elf it.