Hello,
So I have a cousin who lives in Hawaii now and I have not seen or spoken with him in over twelve years. I have nothing personal against him, we just aren't that close and he is quite a bit younger than I. Apparently he is a bit of a deadbeat and he must have given out my address as his own, because I received notices and calls from bill collectors. I informed them that my cousin does not live at my address and never has, and gave them his Hawaii address once I was able to obtain it from another relative.
Now I'm receiving a countless number of notices addressed to him from the IRS, with each subsequently mailing coming in a thicker envelope. I have written his Hawaii address on the envelope, and also when the mailman came to my door for another IRS mailing that required a signature (which I did NOT sign for), I gave the mailman the Hawaii address as well. My cousin is clear;y choosing to ignore all these notices. I believe at his current job he gets paid in cash (so I am told by other relatives), keeps a minimal balance in his bank account if he has one at all and so the IRS has nothing to levy. I'd have no problem calling the IRS and informing them where he is, but I don't know his social security number and have never opened any of the envelopes that came from the IRS (after all, they weren't addressed to me).
It's my understanding that the IRS will eventually begin a criminal investigation if you keep ignoring notice after notice and they aren't able to levy or place liens on anything. How does this work exactly? Will they issue a warrant for him and want to search my house? I have nothing to hide and am not complicit with my cousin's tax evasion, but I don't want federal officers searching my home either.
Thanks in advance!
---Chris Johnson, EA