The IRS Could Have Prevented Its Latest Data Hack. Time For Some TFA

The IRS and 100,000 unlucky taxpayers are victims of the latest data breach in an endless string of cyber exploits that have turned into the online world's version of Groundhog Day. The attackers, identity thieves and fraudsters seeking to file false tax returns, target a place with perhaps the country's second largest (after the NSA) collection of sensitive information. The lifted data didn't just include the usual items, Social Security information, date of birth and street address, but the victims' entire tax returns. The API used to remotely access IRS systems can deliver line-by-line tax return information, account updates (things like marital status, income adjustments) and wage and income statements. As the IRS puts it, "In most cases, your return transcript will have all the information a lender or other agency needs to validate your income or tax reporting compliance."