Is the tax preparer bound by any ethical standards?
Enrolled Agents are required to abide by U.S. Treasury Department Circular 230. EAs found to be in violation of the provisions contained in it may be suspended or disbarred. IRS Updates Tax Scams • Identity Theft. Identity thieves use someones personal data to steal his or her financial accounts, run up charges on the victims existing credit cards, apply for new loans, credit cards, services or benefits in the victims name and even file fraudulent tax returns. The IRS is aware of several identity theft scams involving taxes or the IRS. In one example, fraudsters sent bank customers fictitious bank correspondence and IRS forms in an attempt to trick them into disclosing their personal and banking data. In another, abusive tax preparers have used clients Social Security numbers and other information to file false tax returns without the clients knowledge. For taxpayers, it pays to be choosy about disclosing personal and financial information. And the IRS encourages taxpayers to carefully
