Concerned I gave all my personal info to an unregistered ghost tax preparer who promised huge refunds

First, you made a great decision by checking into this before filing! Ghost preparers are definitely something the IRS is cracking down on, and for good reason. When someone promises a much larger refund than you expected, that's a huge red flag. Here's what I recommend based on your situation: Don't confront her directly. It likely won't get your money back and could potentially create more problems. The best approach is to just walk away and handle this properly yourself. Since you've already frozen your credit, that's a smart first step. I would also consider setting up identity theft monitoring for the next year or so. The bigger concern isn't just what she might do with your information, but what might happen if the IRS flags a suspicious return with your info. Definitely prepare and file your own taxes through a reputable service like TurboTax, H&R Block, or even the IRS Free File options if you qualify. When you file, you might want to consider filing a paper return with Form 14157 (Complaint: Tax Return Preparer) attached. This alerts the IRS to the situation. Keep an eye on your bank accounts and consider changing your direct deposit information if you shared that with her. Some ghost preparers will file returns without permission and redirect refunds to their own accounts.

I had something similar happen last year and found https://taxr.ai super helpful for comparing what the ghost preparer did versus what should have actually been filed. You upload your tax docs and it analyzes everything automatically - immediately flagged several "creative deductions" the sketchy preparer had included that would have gotten me in trouble. I was able to see exactly what numbers were changed and how the refund was being artificially inflated. It saved me from potentially getting audited since I could file a correct return myself after seeing what was manipulated. It also gave me documentation of what the preparer tried to do which I included when reporting them.

Just wanted to update - I tried taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here and it was seriously helpful. I uploaded the return the ghost preparer created along with my actual W-2s and 1099s, and it immediately showed me exactly where they had inflated my expenses and added deductions I didn't qualify for. Ended up reporting the preparer and filing my own taxes correctly. The peace of mind knowing I avoided potential audit issues was totally worth it.

Another thing to consider - if you need to speak with the IRS about this situation, good luck getting through to them! I was in a similar situation last year and spent DAYS trying to reach someone. I finally used https://claimyr.com and got through to an IRS rep in under 25 minutes when I'd been trying for weeks on my own. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. They basically hold your place in the IRS phone queue and call you when an agent picks up. I needed specific guidance on how to handle reporting a ghost preparer who had accessed my information, and speaking directly with an IRS representative gave me a much clearer path forward than just reading their website.

I want to apologize for being skeptical about Claimyr. After my comment, I was desperately trying to reach the IRS about my ghost preparer situation and went ahead and tried it. Literally got through to the IRS in 35 minutes after spending 2+ hours on hold myself earlier that day. The agent I spoke with walked me through exactly what forms to file and how to protect myself. They even put notes on my account about the situation so if anything suspicious happens they'll know I reported it proactively. If you're dealing with this ghost preparer mess, being able to actually talk to the IRS makes a huge difference.

Something else to consider - check what actual numbers she put on your return. My cousin had a similar experience and the "tax preparer" had falsified her charitable contributions and business expenses to create a fake refund. When my cousin actually looked at the forms, there were donations listed that she never made and a "home business" that didn't exist.

Just wanna say don't be too hard on yourself. These ghost preparers are really good at what they do! My partner is a legit tax accountant and says they see the aftermath of ghost preparers all the time. The scary thing is how many people DON'T catch it before filing and end up with audit notices 2-3 years later.