March 17, 2026
Whitlan Tax Service allegedly scammed customers by never filing their tax returns.
Tax preparers in Metro Atlanta are under investigation after allegedly faking documents and keeping clients’ money owed to the IRS.
Customers of Whitlan Tax Service initially thought that their tax returns were being filed with the government. However, IRS notices made them realize that their due pay never went to Uncle Sam. Instead, they allege the business’s owners, Jahaya King and her husband, ran off with their money.
Now, disgruntled customers have called out King and her husband for the shady service. Meanwhile, many still owe thousands to the IRS and state agencies for the unpaid taxes.
WSB-TV uncovered that the tax preparation company also failed to meet the proper federal requirements. Tax preparers must have the Preparer Tax Identification Number, or PTIN, to file the returns. Upon this additional discovery, scammed customers called the matter “wicked” as they dealt with the consequences.
Not only are the customers upset with Whitlan Tax Service, but they are also more apprehensive about trusting small businesses with important matters.
“It’s very sad, and it also hurts my trust in small businesses,” expressed one anonymous customer.
Another customer, Donna Hines, gave the Whitlan Tax Service $15,000 to cover the taxes for her elderly grandmother. She told police that she sent the money directly to King and her husband, expecting them to handle the filing. However, the tax debt has yet to be settled, leaving Hines with even more money owed due to penalties.
“If I had paid it on time, it would have been about $6,500,” Hines said. “Because of the penalties and the delay and no processing of her information, it is now $28,000.
King and her husband also sold dreams of hefty tax returns to keep clients around. However, this notion is considered a major red flag for tax preparers.
“A legitimate tax preparer is going to review your files, review your income, ask questions and not make any personal guarantees or promises,” tax expert Shana Pope shared.
Others claim they were further hoodwinked by King, with customers having incomplete or amended tax returns that left actual tax professionals unable to sift through the documents.
However, their woes serve as a cautionary tale for other taxpayers about working with professional, certified tax preparers this season.
“When the IRS comes after their money, their penalties, et cetera, they come to the taxpayer, not the tax preparer,” Pope said.
King and her husband have managed to evade customers’ complaints, allegedly hiding in their home amid the controversy. The IRS and South Fulton police have launched investigations into complaints surrounding the Whitlan Tax Service, with the owners potentially facing charges of theft by deception.
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