ATLANTA – IRS Atlanta Field Office officials are urging taxpayers to stay vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers who prey on unsuspecting filers.

Release:

ATLANTA – The 2026 tax season is officially underway, and while millions of Americans prepare to file, IRS Criminal Investigation Atlanta Field Office officials are urging taxpayers to stay vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers who prey on unsuspecting filers.

In fiscal year 2025, IRS-CI identified $4.5 billion in tax fraud, more than double the amount identified during the previous fiscal year.

“IRS Criminal Investigation plays a critical role in safeguarding the nation’s tax system,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “Over 60% of our time is devoted to investigating criminal tax cases ranging from questionable refund schemes and return preparer fraud to abusive tax shelters and other complex financial crimes. These efforts ensure that those who attempt to cheat the system are held accountable, reinforcing fairness and trust in our tax administration.”

Taxpayers are reminded to remain vigilant against becoming victims of fraudulent refund schemes by following these important tips.

• Choose a trustworthy tax return preparer. Avoid preparers who promise large refunds or charge a fee based on your refund amount. A trustworthy preparer will also provide their Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) on your tax return and give you a complete copy of your return for your records.
• Protect your return. Never sign a blank tax return, and make sure your refund goes to your account, not your tax preparer’s. Do not file your return if it reports false income, expenses, or dependents.
• Be cautious with emails and texts. Don’t click links or open attachments from unknown senders claiming to be from the IRS. These could be scams that steal your personal information or install malware on your device.
• Don’t fall for social media scams. Ignore social media influencers who encourage you to falsify your tax return with inaccurate income, false withholdings or credits. You could owe a hefty sum to the IRS if your tax return is not accurate, including penalties and interest.
• Report suspicious activity. If you think someone is trying to scam you during tax season contact law enforcement and the IRS.

Vetted tax preparers can be found at www.irs.gov/chooseataxpro and free IRS-certified help can be obtained at http://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep. Report suspicious activity using the Return Preparer Complaint form at www.irs.gov/dmaf/form/f14157 or call the IRS Identity Theft Hotline at 1-800-908-4490 to report tax-related fraudulent activity.

Cases that IRS-CI Atlanta Field Office investigated involving unscrupulous tax preparers include:

Alabama tax professional sentenced (Alabama)

Natoshia Lashawn Crawford of Montgomery Ala. was sentenced to 30 months in prison, Jan. 31, 2025, for making false tax returns and assisting in the filing of false tax returns. In addition to the prison sentence, she was also ordered to pay restitution to the IRS for losses from returns filed by her for the 2017 – 2021 tax years totaling $1,721,047.45. From 2018 through 2022, Crawford owned and operated On Time Professional Tax Service, LLC, in Montgomery where she prepared and filed federal income tax returns for clients. In her plea agreement, Crawford admitted that she included false information in tax returns filed on behalf of herself and others. Doing so caused Crawford and some of her clients to receive greater refunds than they were entitled to receive.

Athens tax preparer sentenced to prison for filing $3.5+ million in false returns (Georgia)

Jessica Crawford, of Athens, Georgia, was sentenced May 8, 2025, to serve 96 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self, III on May 8. Crawford previously pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aiding and assisting in preparing and presenting false income tax returns on Nov. 22, 2024.

Local tax preparer sentenced to federal prison for filing false tax returns (Louisiana)

Sharhonda Law of Haughton, La., was sentenced to 20 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for tax fraud on March 20, 2025.  Law was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $123,455.

Sharhonda Law was a federal income tax return preparer who owned and operated Law’s Tax Service in Shreveport and was the sole tax return preparer for the company. Law prepared and filed a client’s 2019 tax return with the IRS. The return she prepared included a false and fraudulent Schedule F, “Profit or Loss from Farming,” which falsely claimed that the client had farming income and incurred farming expenses, resulting in a net farming loss. As a result of Law’s actions, the tax refund falsely showed the client was due a refund when, in fact, the client owed taxes for that tax year.

Tax preparer sentenced to 18 months to serve and $1.96 million in restitution (Mississippi)

Slexcia Neal of Bolivar County, Mississippi was sentenced to 18 months in prison, January 25, 2025, for three counts of filing fraudulent tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service. Neal was a tax preparer in Bolivar County, Mississippi. Neal owned a tax preparation business in Cleveland and Merigold, Mississippi. Taxpayers sought Neal’s assistance in preparing and filing tax documents to the IRS. When Neal submitted a number of these documents, they contained false information, which lowered the taxpayer’s income and ultimately increased the refund that they received from the IRS. Neal’s conduct resulted in a substantial loss to the United States and to all taxpayers. Neal was ordered to pay more than $1,960,000 in restitution to the IRS for her fraudulent conduct. Neal was also barred from preparing tax documents for others for life.