If it was a reality series, it might be called "When Tax Fraud Goes Wild." In fact, that's exactly what's happening in Tampa and North Miami Beach, Fla., where local officials report criminals are stealing people's identities, using the information to file phony IRS returns and then receiving millions of dollars in tax refunds.

Officials say the crimes start with thieves stealing personal information, including names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers, from unsuspecting victims. Then, using laptops and free Wi-Fi connections, they use the stolen information to file fraudulent online tax returns.

The U.S. Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility, chaired by Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, was scheduled to hold hearing on the matter today. Police have estimated that hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money is being stolen in the Tampa Bay area alone.

Committee officials say they are considering legislation introduced by Nelson last year that is designed to help victims get their money more quickly when their refunds are stolen.

Tampa Police say the chances of getting caught and convicted are low because each fraud case amounts to an average of $3,400, often too little to merit prosecution. To make putting the criminal behind bars even more difficult, the IRS is limited by law in sharing information from a taxpayer's return with local law enforcement authorities.     

On Feb. 7, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida indicted Belinda Brooks, 46, of Tampa, on 19 counts of tax fraud and other related illegal activities, according to a release issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The charges includes one count of filing a fax tax return, six counts of theft of government property in the form of tax refunds, six counts of aggravated  identity theft, three counts of making false claims in the form of fraudulent tax returns and three counts of identity theft. 

Law enforcement officials say cyberspace tax return fraud has been going on for well over a year. In September, officials, local and federal authorities arrested 49 people alleged to be involved in a $130 million tax-return fraud involving stolen identities. Called "Operation Rainmaker," the task force was organized to try to intercept $100 million that consisted of tax refund cards placed in an estimated 10,000 envelopes, as well as recover $5 million in fraudulent cash refunds, cash, jewelry, cars and entertainment systems, officials said Friday. About $25 million has yet to be recovered.

Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor, quoted by the Tampa Bay Times on Sept. 2, called the 49 arrests "just the tip of the iceberg."

A local Miami law firm, Weisberg & Kainen, is partially blaming the IRS for the rampant tax-return fraud. Posted on the firm's Web site  at www.miamitaxlawattorney.com is a full-page rebuke of the what they see as widespread IRS inefficiency.

"Taxpayers in Tampa and around Florida are frustrated by the lack of service that they receive at local IRS offices," the law firm stated. "Many taxpayers have found that their identities have been stolen and that people have already filed for refunds in their name. This is despite the fact that the tax season is only a few weeks old and the IRS said that it had implemented new identity theft protection and criminal fraud measures."              

-Jim McConville