by wildcherry on Sunday, October 25th, 2009 | Business, News | No Comments

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Thousands of individuals claiming the first-time home buyer’s $8,000 tax credit may have been trying to scam the system, including purported 4-year-olds and illegal immigrants, according to a watchdog report released Thursday.

Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George told a House panel that more than 19,000 people filed 2008 tax returns claiming the credit for homes they had not yet purchased. George said his office had identified another $500 million in claims, by some 74,000 taxpayers, where there were indications of prior home ownership.

He told a House Ways and Means oversight subcommittee that they also found 580 taxpayers under the age of 18 who claimed $4 million in first-time home buyer credit. One was 4 years old.

“Some of our findings, while preliminary, are somewhat disturbing,” George said. Among the most striking instances of fraud include 4-year-olds, non-U.S. citizens and IRS employees inappropriately claiming the benefit, he said.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2009-10-22-homebuyer-tax-credit-fraud_N.htm

Tags: first home, first home tips, first time home buyer credit, First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit, Home Buyer Tax Credit Scams, Tax Credit Scams