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Cyber Risks · Krebs on Security

Sign Up at irs.gov Before Crooks Do It For You

Summary: A KrebsOnSecurity reader named Michael Kasper learned his 2014 tax return had already been filed when TurboTax told him the IRS rejected his own submission, and the IRS confirmed an $8,936 refund was being direct-deposited to an account he did not recognize. The fraudulent return, filed January 31, 2015, used his prior-year W2 data and a corrected W-2 that raised withholding by $6,000, and Kasper later found someone had registered at irs.gov with his Social Security number and an unknown email address.

What you should know: The IRS transcript process relies on static identifiers plus Equifax knowledge-based authentication questions that researcher Nicholas Weaver answered using Zillow and Spokeo, so anyone holding a taxpayer's SSN and address can pull the W2 data needed to file a refund in their name. Kasper paid $50 via Form 4506 to see the routing and account numbers the IRS would not disclose to him, and the bank that received the deposit said no one from the IRS had contacted it despite his February 9, 2015 fraud report.

Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗

Topics
Data Breaches
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