H&R Block worker helped late tax filers in Santa Rosa

<p>An H&R Block spokesman said a woman who collected an estimated 30 tax returns from last-minute filers at the Santa Rosa post office is an employee of the company and was just trying to help out.</p><p>At least one person who contacted Santa Rosa police Wednesday night was concerned the woman might be up to no good. Police in turn contacted the U.S. Postal Inspector’s Office, asking them to investigate.</p><p>But lucky for these filers, the woman is a tax preparer for H&R Block who was offering in good faith to deliver the tax returns to the Petaluma post office, which was open late.</p><p>That was a relief to Santa Rosa’s Kathy Fleming, who was among several people who gave their returns to the woman only to second-guess that decision the next day.</p><p>“To hand something over to a stranger is not a good thing,” Fleming said.</p><p>Tax returns include Social Security numbers and other vital information, as well as checks made out to the government for those who have to pay, as Fleming and her husband did this year.</p><p>But Fleming said she was at a loss after arriving at the Second Street post office at about 8 p.m. only to learn that it had closed at 6:30 p.m.</p><p>In the past, the office has stayed open until midnight to accommodate last-minute tax filers.</p><p>Fleming said the woman explained to several frustrated people that they couldn’t leave their tax returns there because they wouldn’t be postmarked in time to meet the tax deadline. She said the woman did not identify herself to her as an employee with H&R Block.</p><p>“I looked at her and felt that I could trust her,” Fleming said.</p><p>The tax company had a slightly different take on the situation. They said the employee told them that people overheard her on her cell phone telling her supervisor that the Santa Rosa post office was closed and that she was headed for Petaluma.</p><p>“She didn’t volunteer to take anybody’s (tax returns). There were some people who asked her to, and she did it out of the kindness of her heart,” said Dustin Ferguson, a Kansas City-based spokesman for H&R Block.</p><p>He said the company offers to mail tax returns for clients, but in this case, the woman’s supervisors advised her to not do what she did on Wednesday again.</p><p>“We definitely take steps to protect things. That’s one of our number one goals,” he said.</p><p>Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Eric Goldschlag said the Block employee expressed embarrassment over the situation when the pair connected via phone Thursday.</p><p>For her part, Fleming defended waiting until the last minute to mail her taxes but said she will change how she goes about it next year.</p><p>“I don’t like to pay my taxes any earlier than I have to,” she said. “Picking the route to deliver my taxes? Yeah, maybe I’ll take a different route next year.”</p><p>Staff Writer Mary Callahan contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Derek J. Moore at 521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com.</p>