Identity Thieves Breach IRS Computer Systems Seeking Taxpayer Data

If someone contacts you through those platforms, claims to work for the IRS and asks for your personal information, he or she is attempting to “mine data” to not only use to file tax returns but to open accounts, West Bloomfield Deputy Police Chief Curt Lawson said. Officials are investigating the incident but believe that the attack has been stopped.

Fraudsters, armed with stolen social security numbers and other personal information on almost half a million people, used malware to systematically request PINs corresponding to those taxpayers, allowing the crooks to potentially file paperwork on their behalf.

IRS analysts detected a virus bot software program that used 101,000 valid Social Security numbers to create 464,000 unauthorized personal identification numbers. Instead, they would just mail the notice out. “The IRS is also protecting their accounts by marking them to protect against tax-related identity theft”.

The scammers often alter caller ID numbers to make it appear like the IRS or another government agency is calling, and may use IRS titles and fake badge numbers.

IRS cybersecurity experts are now assessing the situation, and the IRS is working closely with other agencies and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Please add “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes. “Instead they sell their stolen loot on the black market to fraudsters who specialize in such activities”. “If private information is core to the business model, necessary steps need to be taken to ensure their customers’ data is protected in the same manner a bank would protect their customers’ currency”. Last week, the IRS dealt with a roughly day-long outage that forced it to stop processing tax returns and blocked taxpayers from accessing the “Where’s my refund?” tool online.

PHOENIX ― The Internal Revenue Service today warned taxpayers to avoid the temptation of falsely inflating deductions or expenses on their returns to under pay what they owe and possibly receive larger refunds.

The breach was the most recent hiccup that taxpayers have encountered less than one month into the tax filing season.

Hopkins County Sheriff Matt Sanderson says the caller claims to be an IRS employee, telling the target they owe taxes, and threatening to sue if they’re not paid.