Suspicious activity in north Tampa neighborhood might be linked to tax fraud

TAMPA - The people who live in Beacon Meadows in south Carrollwood first noticed the unusual activity at the height of tax season.

Larry Iwanoski is among a half-dozen residents who have spotted people pouring out of a white sedan after the mail carrier comes.

"The car drove up very slowly and I did not notice until I saw a lady walking across the street from a mailbox.

The Hillsborough Sheriff's office suspects the people in the vehicle which was caught on home surveillance could be Turbo Tax thieves who targeted Beacon Meadows as a pick up point for fraudulently filed refunds.

"They don't send it to their own address, so they pick a neighborhood in which they may live or know the routine of the mail truck delivery," said Cpl. Bruce Crumpler with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

Barb Appel received one of the Turbo Tax debit card refunds in her box.  An hour or so later, a woman Barb had never met came knocking. "She said she was the woman on the card and she wanted her tax card.  I said 'Why it is here?' She said the post office told me they delivered it," said Appel.

The sheriff’s office says they have identified the car and owner and are actively investigating the case.