How the IRS Is Strengthening Identity Theft Protection for the 2016 Tax Season

From 2011 to 2014, the IRS paid out a whopping $5.eight billion in fraudulent refunds, that’s, refunds made to people who weren’t entitled to the cash. Though it prevented about $24 billion from going out to related fraudsters, the actual fact is, in response to this Forbes report, that there’s actually no solution to precisely gauge how a lot the IRS pays out in id theft refunds. This isn’t solely an issue for the IRS but in addition for you, the taxpayer, as a result of in case your tax info falls into the improper palms, refunds which might be lawfully yours could also be going into another person’s account. That is solely one of many some ways by which IRS id theft might spell catastrophe for you.

As Jessica Wealthy, director of FTC’s Shopper Safety Bureau describes it, there was an ‘explosion of complaints’ about id theft over the previous couple of years and this makes it essential for you, the taxpayer, to know what’s id theft and find out how to safeguard towards it. The IRS is making its personal efforts to scale back this menace and the latest initiatives stand testomony to this reality.

Steps taken for id theft prevention

Prevention is certainly higher than remedy within the case of IRS id theft as a result of monitoring improper funds, tracing the fraudsters, and recovering the funds is just about unimaginable. With a view to bettering determine theft prevention, over 20 knowledge parts that can seem alongside tax returns are being highlighted by the IRS Summit. A take a look at these parts signifies can let you know if there’s something suspicious concerning the return. Based mostly on suggestions, the IRS is incorporating course of modifications to present particular, additional care to those parts in order that fraudulent returns will be recognized earlier than refunds are authorized and processed.

The Summit has additionally impressed the software program trade to provide you with options that can enhance validation procedures on tax associated processes together with implementing higher id verification programs.

Focus can also be being invested in bettering id verification processes for these people who use a tax submitting software program to file their returns. These will embrace the incorporation of safety questions within the software program and system recognition at log-on to alert if a brand new, unfamiliar system is getting used to entry the software program. These are safety procedures which might be extensively utilized in banking and different monetary sectors and now these are being carried out to the tax area to spice up safety to taxpayers and forestall IRS id theft.

In accordance with IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, these new safety features will come into power for the 2016 tax season, which means that taxpayers will get pleasure from extra layers of id theft safety this 12 months. The brand new options are the results of the collaborative effort between IRS, main software program corporations and tax preparation consultants, in addition to, state tax directors and monetary/ tax product makers. The Safety Summit (because the collaboration is thought) contributors have additionally listed out many different areas of concern in taxation that will likely be regarded into within the coming months. These will likely be addressed on an ongoing foundation and the collaborative efforts and sources of the contributors will likely be leveraged to provide you with efficient options.