More than 100,000 taxpayers have had their information stolen from hackers who accessed their data via an IRS system called “ Get Transcript .” That same “Get Transcript” system on the IRS website is being reported as not available in the wake of the news of the system breach.
“Alert: The online Get Transcript service is currently unavailable. Transcripts may still be ordered using the Get Transcript by Mail service. We apologize for any inconvenience.”
To discover if your information is included in the hacking of 100,000 folks’ info, you’ll have to wait for the IRS to notify you that your data was breached, reports ABC News .
Previous IRS scams involved callers claiming to be from the IRS and threatening people with court visits or worse, reported the Inquisitr. Those calls were somewhat easy to discern as scammers — however, the latest scam involving the personal data of at least 100,000 taxpayers being exposed were likely the work of sophisticated hackers.
“* The IRS never sends email requesting you to obtain, upload or access your transcripts. If you receive such an email, please forward it to our fraud group at [email protected].”
The thieves were organized and experienced, reports the IRS, and most likely part of a larger syndicate of hackers. The “Get Transcript” online system was one that was intended to provide taxpayers with the returns they’ve filed in past years. The Internal Revenue Service admitted that the hackers had to know the person’s SSN, birth date, address, and their filing status — quite a bit of info for those stealing information to uncover.
After using that information to gain tax returns, the hackers then had enough information to file new returns and have tax refunds sent to them that didn’t belong to them. And it’s big business: The IRS says approximately $5.8 billion in refunds went out in 2013 to thieves. In 2015 thus far, less than $50 million had been claimed through fraud.
The false refunds were oftentimes delivered to bank accounts or pre-paid debit cards to the thieves.
Due to an upsurge in the amount of “Get Transcript” online form requests, the scheme was uncovered.
Other IRS systems, like their popular EFTPS or Electronic Federal Tax Payment System , are reportedly still secure. And the Internal Revenue Service reports that fewer types of “Get Transcript” hacks should occur due to additional filters being added that have helped halt nearly 3 million sketchy returns. However, not all of the false returns were caught.
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