IRS Hacked … Says Thieves Stole Tax Info From 100,000 Taxpayers

In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. Scratch that … IRS HACKED.

Reason number one why I would never use the IRS electronic filing system. The IRS is admitting that they were hacked and the E-thieves stole the tax information of over 100,000 taxpayers. According to reports, the hackers used the website app service called “Get Transcript”to gain access. The IRS states that the hackers used this app to download forms full of personal information between February and May of 2015.

It’s only a matter of time before the IRS blames this on their budget that was cut.

ABC News:

Sophisticated criminals used an online service run by the IRS to access personal tax information from more than 100,000 taxpayers, part of an elaborate scheme to steal identities and claim fraudulent tax refunds, the IRS said Tuesday.

The thieves accessed a system called “Get Transcript,” where taxpayers can get tax returns and other filings from previous years. In order to access the information, the thieves cleared a security screen that required knowledge about the taxpayer, including Social Security number, date of birth, tax filing status and street address, the IRS said.

“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.”

Koskinen wouldn’t say whether investigators believe the criminals are based overseas — or where they obtained enough personal information about the taxpayers to access their returns. The IRS has launched a criminal investigation. The agency’s inspector general is also investigating.