IRS says thieves stole tax info from additional 220,000

Source: AP

By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER

WASHINGTON (AP) — A computer breach at the IRS in which thieves stole tax information from thousands of taxpayers is much bigger than the agency originally disclosed.

An additional 220,000 potential victims had information stolen from an IRS website as part of a sophisticated scheme to use stolen identities to claim fraudulent tax refunds, the IRS said Monday. The revelation more than doubles the total number of potential victims, to 334,000.

The tax agency first disclosed the breach in May.

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.

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FILE - In this April 13, 2014 file photo, the Internal Revenue Service Headquarters (IRS) building is seen in Washington. The IRS says thieves used an agency website to steal tax information from as many as 220,000 additional taxpayers. The agency first disclosed the breach in May. Monday’s revelation more than doubles the total number of potential victims, to 334,000. (AP Photo/J. David Ake, File)

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