Thieves Steal Confidential Taxpayer Info Via IRS Website
Just when you thought you were safe to access important and confidential information via the IRS website, it turns out scammers are at it again. According to reports from the IRS, thieves have managed to break into one of the government agency’s website services and steal the confidential information of thousands of taxpayers.
In fact, according to reports, the IRS says that the personal information of more than 100,000 taxpayers has been compromised. The idea behind the scam is to steal people’s private information in order to use the victims’ identities to then file false tax returns. The scam occurred through the IRS’s “Get Transcript” service, where taxpayers are able to access their returns and other filings from prior tax years.
According to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen these scammers are not amateurs. They appear to part of a large criminal syndicate that is attacking the entire financial industry in an effort to defraud both taxpayers and the government of millions.
The IRS discovered the issue after technicians noticed a large bump in the number of taxpayers that were asking for transcripts. While this kind of elaborate tax fraud continues to increase, the IRS claims that so far this year tax scammers have successfully claimed less than $50 million via false tax returns. However this new threat appears to very complex and the information that has been stolen could also be used in future tax seasons to defraud the IRS and taxpayers out of even more money.
IRS Eases Reporting Burden on Corporations and Shareholders
IRS Eases Reporting Burden on Corporations and Shareholders WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced new regulatory revisions that will reduce the reporting burden on corporations and shareholders while also making it easier for them to file their tax returns electronically. The announcement is part of an on-going effort by the IRS to remove…
How Is That Federal Tax Code Treating the Uber Rich?
How Is That Federal Tax Code Treating the Uber Rich? Earlier this year in his annual State of the Union Address, President Obama spent much of his speech discussing taxes. Specifically he talked greatly about the unfair tax system that favors the rich. If the president’s claims were to be believed, then you would think…
Tips to Help Taxpayers with January 30 Tax Season Opening
We thought it a good idea to share some tips to help taxpayers with the January, 30 tax season opening. The IRS will begin processing most individual income tax returns on Jan. 30 after updating forms and completing programming and testing of its processing systems. The IRS anticipated many of the tax law changes made…
Deductible Business Expenses
Deductible Business Expenses Business expenses are the cost of carrying on a trade or business. These expenses are usually deductible if the business is operated to make a profit. What Can I Deduct? To be deductible, a business expense must be both ordinary and necessary. An ordinary expense is one that is common and accepted…