The Oregon Department of Revenue mailed personal tax refund information to the incorrect address for 5,000 taxpayers.

The Oregon Department of Revenue admitted on Thursday that it transmitted personal tax refund information to the wrong address for around 5,000 individuals.

According to Robin Maxey, a department representative, all 5,000 are meant for and mailed to Portland citizens.   However, the information on the forms does not match the mailing address that is visible from the outside.

The names, addresses, last four digits of the taxpayer’s Social Security number, and the sum of their state and local tax refunds from the previous year are all included on the 1099-G forms.

The government issues the 1099-G form to let taxpayers know about any money they may have gotten that could need to be reported on their federal tax return, most frequently tax refunds.

According to Maxey, the vendor who produces and delivers the 1099-G forms “found that the issue occurred on their side.” On January 31st, the department mailed out the right forms.

When Portlander Robbin Battison examined the 1099-G form that had been delivered to his home earlier this week, he discovered that it belonged to someone else. It was actually a neighbor’s.

Battison rang the doorbell and gave the neighbor his 1099-G. The neighbor then ripped apart the form he had been given. It was also someone else’s. Battison then called his son, who discovered someone else’s information within.

Battison is concerned that some people may fail to discover that their 1099-G is truly someone else’s and, as a result, submit a fake tax return.

“I believe this is a genuine public concern,” he stated.

All of the affected taxpayers live in Portland, with 96% of them living in the ZIP codes 97202, 97205, 97206, and 97209. Downtown, Old Town, the Pearl District, and much of the east side, including Battison’s neighborhood of Sellwood, are all included.

The state tax department is requesting that anyone who receives a faulty 1099-G form delete it immediately. It will contact each taxpayer via mail about what happened and why they received the incorrect form, and impacted taxpayers will be offered credit monitoring.

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