Tax season slumped in its initial period as the total number returns filed for the week ended February 3 plunged by 24.3 percent compared to the week ended February 5 a year ago. Numbers dropped for self-prepared returns by 20.8 percent received but were down 29.2 percent for those filed by tax professionals.

Intuit has launched a marketing campaign for the Latino community. Under the Spanish title, "Relájate, Tienes TurboTax," (Relax, There's TurboTax) has Spanish language television spots featuring actress Karla Souza and retired baseball player David Ortiz to demonstrate the features and capabilities of the company's tax preparation software.

Taxing authorities says that a scam aimed at obtaining employee W-2s emails from the corporate world has spread to other sector,s including school districts, tribal organizations and nonprofits. The email-based phishing is also being combined with an older wire transfer scheme.

An Atlanta, Ga.-based tax preparer has been sentenced to 150 months in prison for filing fraudulent returns that claimed more than $20 million in refunds. Cheryl Singleton, age 29, who owned and operated Advanced Tax Services, used a variety of tools to increase client refunds, along with stealing identities.