State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says his office has stopped over $24 million in questionable or fraudulent personal income tax refund payments so far this year.

DiNapoli says the majority of the questionable refunds were filed by taxpayers who claimed refundable credits based on incorrect information like fake or inflated number of dependents or understated income.

He says auditors also stopped over $3 million in refunds that were linked to unscrupulous tax preparers filing false returns.

Other popular scams uncovered by DiNapoli’s office include the use of questionable social security numbers and intentionally misstating deductions.

“Tax cheats are continuously looking for new ways to beat the system, but my auditors are staying one step ahead of them,” DiNapoli said. “My office continues to stop fraudulent refunds from reaching the hands of dishonest individuals and identifying taxpayers who claim deductions that are not rightfully theirs.”

The Comptroller's Office has paid out $4.8 billion tax refunds so far this year.

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