The Internal Revenue Service and the Justice Department has conducted a nationwide sweep to arrest perpetrators of tax refund fraud and identity theft. The agencies said they had targeted 105 people in 23 states and filed 939 criminal charges as part of 69 indictments.

IRS auditors and investigators also conducted what were described as "extensive compliance visits to money service businesses in nine locations." There were about 150 visits designed to ensure check-cashing businesses are not involved in fraud and theft. The visits occurred in nine high-risk areas in and surrounding Atlanta, Ga.; Birmingham, Ala.; Chicago; Los Angeles; Miami; New York; Phoenix, Ariz.; Tampa, Fla.; and Washington, D.C. Audits are occurring in more than 250 check-cashing operations.

The IRS also said it has stepped up internal reviews to identify false returns before refunds are issued and is working to help identity theft victims. Efforts to prevent theft include new identity theft screening to improve the IRS's ability to spot false returns before they are processed as well as placing identity theft indicators on taxpayer accounts to track and manage identity theft incidents.