JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A "dead" woman contacted the "Ask Anthony" team with a problem she couldn't solve.
According to the IRS, Theresa Williams is not alive. The Fleming Island woman emailed us for help because she's been waiting for months to receive her tax refund.
"The IRS says that I'm deceased. So, they sent me papers to send in to prove that I'm alive," Theresa Williams explained.
Williams received a letter in the mail that she would not be receiving a tax refund. According to federal records, the 77-year-old died before she filed her taxes.
"I'm a senior citizen, I'm on a fixed income. I need my money," she said.
According to the letter, the IRS said she could fix the problem by sending in photocopies of her driver's license, social security card, and other federal or state government-issued identification.
"I sent in all of the papers, I sent my social security card, my driver's license, my Medicaid card, my insurance card," Williams responded.
After doing some research, the "Ask Anthony" team discovered she's not alone. According to a report released in August from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, the IRS confirmed that more than 20,000 taxpayer accounts were "deceased locked" in error due to both human and computer programming issues.
"I think when you work all these years, and you go into retirement, you shouldn't have this problem at my age. This has really been a real nightmare," Williams added.
After we contacted the IRS, Williams received her refund by direct deposit. If this has happened to you, the IRS says you should contact the social security administration to resolve this situation and submit a written request to unlock your account.