Shopping for W2s, Tax Data on the Dark Web
Summary: A dark web shop is selling raw 2016 W-2 tax form data on more than 3,600 Americans, nearly all in Florida, at $4 to $20 in Bitcoin per record, with higher wages fetching higher prices. Krebs traced the records to a Florida tax preparation firm, The Payroll Professionals, which clients say handled their employee tax forms and which acknowledged it was "aware of the potential hacking."
Key Takeaway: The records were not phished from 3,600 individuals but concentrated through one outsourced payroll provider, and the FTC reported tax refund fraud drove a nearly 50 percent increase in consumer identity theft complaints in 2015 - so a single vendor relationship can expose an entire workforce's tax data.
Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗
- Topics
- Fraud & Scams
- Related
- ArcticRAT Cybercrime Gang Profiles Victim Finances With AI Cyber Risks · Nov 13, 2026Three People Arrested for AI-Enhanced Impersonation Fraud Cyber Risks · Nov 11, 2026Medicare scam calls, texts and ads: What to watch for this Open Enrollment Cyber Risks · Oct 14, 2026