The IRS website is not hacker-proof as many Americans would like to believe. On Tuesday, the agency announced that over 100,000 taxpayers were victims of a identity theft through their “Get Transcript” system. When a taxpayer need to obtain a copy of a tax return, they go to www.irs.gov and request copies via the “Get Transcript” link. Between February and May, thieves were able to clear a security screen that captured individuals Social Security number, street address, date of birth, and tax filing status. “We’re confident that these are not amateurs,” said IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. “These actually are organized crime syndicates that not only we but everybody in the financial industry are dealing with.” Of course, the IRS breach has caused heavy concern with Congress. But the flip side is that the IRS has continuously warned Congress that data security systems are not up to par, not to standard to fight against sophisticated data thieves. The 100,000 taxpayers that were affected cost the IRS up to $50 million in fraudulent tax returns. Read more HERE…
