Several area residents have recently fallen prey to identity theft by criminals who used the victims' personal information to file federal tax returns.

A 63-year-old Chuckey woman went to a local tax service last week to file her taxes and discovered that someone had already filed a refund claim using her Social Security number, according to a report filed with the Greene County Sheriff's Department.

The Internal Revenue Service was notified and put a hold on her return, the report said.

Another case involves a 40-year-old Bolton Road man, who reported to the Greene County Sheriff's Department that he tried to file his tax return last week and was informed by the Internal Revenue Service that a return had already been filed using his Social Security number.

The IRS is aware of the problem.

Last week, the agency and the U.S. Justice Department conducted a nationwide crackdown on "suspected identity theft perpetrators," a news release said.

There were no arrests in East Tennessee.

Arrests that resulted are part of a stepped-up effort against refund fraud and identity theft, IRS officials said.

Working with the Justice Department's Tax Division and local U.S. Attorneys' offices, the nationwide effort targeted 105 people in 23 states, including Tennessee.

The sweep included indictments, arrests and the execution of search warrants involving the potential theft of thousands of identities and taxpayer refunds, the news release said.

In all, 939 criminal charges are included in the 69 indictments related to identity theft, the IRS said.

"This unprecedented effort against identity theft sends a strong, unmistakable message to anyone considering participating in a refund fraud scheme this tax season," IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said in a news release.

"We are aggressively pursuing cases across the nation with the Justice Department, and people will be going to jail. This is part of a much wider effort under way at the IRS to help protect taxpayers," Shulman said.

The national effort is part of a comprehensive identity theft strategy by the IRS focusing on preventing, detecting and resolving identity theft cases as soon as possible, agency officials said.

In addition to the law-enforcement crackdown, the IRS has stepped up internal reviews to spot false tax returns before refunds are issued, in addition to working to help victims of identity theft schemes involving refunds, agency officials said.

To help taxpayers, the IRS recently created a special section on its IRS.gov website dedicated to identity theft matters, including YouTube videos, tips for taxpayers and a special guide to assistance.

The information includes how to contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit and tips to protect against "phishing" schemes that can lead to identity theft.

Identity theft often starts outside the tax administration system when someone's personal information is stolen or lost.

Identity thieves may use a taxpayer's identity to fraudulently file a tax return and claim a refund.

In other cases, the identity thief uses the taxpayer's personal information in order to get a job.

"A legitimate taxpayer may be unaware that anything has happened until they file their return later in the filing season and discover two returns have been filed using the same Social Security number," an IRS spokesman said.

Identity theft occurs when someone uses another person's personal information without their permission to commit fraud or other crimes using the victim's name, Social Security number or other identifying information.

With federal taxes, taxpayers may not be aware they have become identity theft victims until they receive a letter from the IRS stating that more than one tax return was filed with their information, or that IRS records show wages from an employer the taxpayer has not worked for in the past.

Taxpayers receiving a notice from the IRS indicating identity theft should follow the instructions in that notice.

A taxpayer who believes he or she is at risk of identity theft because of lost or stolen personal information should contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at (800) 908-4490.

The taxpayer will be asked to complete an IRS Identity Theft Affidavit and follow the instructions on the back of the form based on their situation.

The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by e-mail or social media tools to request personal or financial information.

The IRS does not send e-mails stating that a person is being electronically audited or that the person is getting a refund.

This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels.

IRS impersonation schemes flourish during tax season and can take the form of e-mail, websites, and even tweets. Scammers may also use a phone or fax to reach their victims.

"If you receive a paper letter or notice via mail claiming to be the IRS but you suspect it is a scam, check the IRS phishing page at http://www.IRS.gov/phishing to determine if it is a legitimate IRS notice or letter.

"If it is a legitimate IRS notice or letter, reply if needed," an IRS official said.

"If the caller or party that sent the paper letter is not legitimate, contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at (800) 366-4484."

Anyone who receives a scam e-mail claiming to be from the IRS can forward it to the IRS at (phishing@irs.gov)