Tax refund checks totaling $759,065 were returned as undeliverable from Hawaii addresses, and the Internal Revenue Service is asking for help to get them to taxpayers.

The 2010 refund checks average $1,033 apiece and are due to 735 taxpayers across the state but could not be delivered because of mailing address errors. In some cases, taxpayers have moved without letting the IRS know, or the address information on their returns is incorrect.

"We want to make sure taxpayers get the money owed to them," said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. "If you think you are missing a refund, the sooner you update your address information, the quicker you can get your money."

Taxpayers can visit the "Where’s My Refund?" tool on irs.gov to update their address or check on the status of their refund. They should have their tax return handy, because they will need to enter their Social Security number, filing status, and amount of refund due to them. A telephone version of "Where’s My Refund?" is available by calling 1-800-829-1954.

To avoid future delivery problems, the IRS advises that taxpayers choose direct deposit when they file either paper or electronic tax returns. Their refunds can be deposited into their bank or credit union and can even be split among accounts. The IRS also recommends that taxpayers file their tax returns electronically to avoid the risk of lost paper returns and to speed up refunds.

"If taxpayers use electronic filing or e-file and also have any refunds provided back to them in direct deposit, that is the most secure, efficient and fast way to get their refunds on future returns," said David Tucker, an IRS spokesman based in Seattle.

The agency is also warning taxpayers to be wary of any e-mail sent to them regarding pending refunds because the IRS does not send such messages. They are common identity theft scams, and taxpayers should not open such messages or respond to them. Instead, visit irs.gov online to verify whether there is a pending refund.