WOMAN ARRESTED FOR $2.1 MILLION TAX REFUND SCAM

THIS WOMAN WAS CHARGED WITH ONE
OF OREGON'S BIGGEST TAX FRAUDS EVER

Business Insider -  An Oregon woman is on the hook for what Internal Revenue Service investigators are calling one of the largest cases of tax fraud in the state's history.  Krystle Marie Reyes, of Salem, Ore. allegedly weaseled more than $2 million from the state by filing a false return using automated TurboTax software, according to a police report obtained by Oregon Live. Reyes, 25, reported $3 million in wages and claimed $2.1 million in refunds, which worked its way through TurboTax's system and was approved by the state. Soon enough, a Visa debit card loaded with the refund was in her hands. 
What's bizarre about the situation is how Reyes was caught. She reported another debit card as lost or stolen to the issuer, which apparently saw enough red flags to get the state's revenue service on the case. The police affidavit doesn't offer say how much cash was loaded on the second card or whether it was obtained by a fraudulent tax return as well.

When Reyes was taken into custody June 6, she had allegedly spent about $150,000 over a two-month period, including $2,000 on a Dodge Caravan and more than $800 in tires and wheels, according to police. It's not clear from the report where the rest of the cash went, though it says she spent tens of thousands of dollars per week. 
Her case underscores the debate over whether the IRS should issue refunds via debit cards.  On one hand, they're a boon to unbanked Americans who can't rely on direct deposits for speedy returns. But that also means fraudsters can get their hands on cash faster than authorities can catch them. 
Reyes was running around Salem for two months before authorities cottoned on - and that was only after she practically served herself up on a silver platter by reporting the card stolen. 
Oregon may have its own issues to sort out - the state reported $559 million in delinquent taxes in 2010 alone, according to Oregon Live - but tax fraud is running rampant nationwide.

In the USA, one Oregon woman almost got away with a bogus $2.1 million tax refund. Tax fraud and tax-related identity theft are on the rise. More than 640,000 taxpayers were affected by tax fraud last year, more than double the number of taxpayers affected the year before, according to statistics. The IRS often has to pay tax refunds twice: once to the identity thief, and a second time to the legitimate recipient. Due to a widespread cheating propensity, as well as due to a lack of proper understanding and foolishness, we always end up suffering in this material plane.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Śrī Hari is beyond the mundane plane. It is impossible to stay near Him with material body, mind and intelligence. But the enslaved jivas are covered by the designations of the gross and subtle bodies. So how is it possible for them to stay close to the Lord? ... Unless one is favored by a pure devotee, one cannot attain the platform of devotional service. Till the point one is away from Krishna-bhakti, one cannot even be relieved from the bondage of material existence. 
The darkness of ignorance is called kaitava, the way of cheating, which begins with religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and liberation. Among them, the foremost process of cheating is to desire to achieve liberation by merging into the Supreme, for this causes the permanent disappearance of loving service to Krishna.

Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Mahārāja :
“Mokshada Ekadasi, Dec 17, 2010, Kolkata”
Audio Series - Lectures - Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math
http://www.sreecgmath.org/scgmtimes/scgmtimes.php