I filed my tax raturn with Taxbrain, an online tax preparer and efiler with the IRS. Taxbrain is a division of Petz. When I filed, I agreed to have my fees taken out of my return. When this happens, Taxbrain sets up a temporary account at another bank, and has the money deposited there. The refund amount, less the fees, are then transmitted via ACH to my personal account that I provided. This year, I prepared my return with Taxbrain. When it shows my Tax return (1040 form), I verify the form is correct. I also verify that the bank account information is correct. Looking up the routing number, I verified it was going to an account at Santa Barbara Bank and Trust (SBBT), also known as Santa Barbara Tax Products Group. I assumed that the information on my return is what is sent to the IRS. Turns out, it is not. Taxbrain changed the routing number and did not notify or disclose this is any way. As a result, my refund was sent to the wrong bank (verified with Republic Bank). Taxbrain made no effort to rectify this situation that their negligence called, and customer service has been rude and evasive. The IRS will now be sending me a paper check in 2-6 weeks. As I had been informed by the IRS the date was going to be January 29th, I planned accordingly. Now, with this error caused by Taxbrain, I can not afford to pay for utilities, and expect services to get shut off within a week. I believe that Taxbrain is both liable for damages that they caused, and that changing the routing number to a different bank without disclosure constitutes wire fraud.
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