Identity verification

The Internal Revenue Service is getting ready to open the tax filing season on Monday, Jan. 29, as it gears up to handle the new tax law.

The Internal Revenue Service plans to ask tax professionals additional questions before providing them with assistance as part of its efforts to improve security.

Crooks have already started targeting tax professionals this year.

The Internal Revenue Service said Monday that it was able to transition most of its e-Services user applications to a new platform over the weekend, although it reiterated its warning Friday of delays in moving to new authentication technology.

The Internal Revenue Service has not been able to upgrade its online e-Services applications to a more secure authentication method, the IRS admitted Friday.

The Internal Revenue Service, working in partnership with state tax authorities and the tax preparation industry as part of their Security Summit initiative, reported significant progress Tuesday in the battle against tax-related identity theft, with new steps planned for next tax season.

The Internal Revenue Service has suspended its $7.25 million contract with Equifax after the company admitted to finding a malware link on its website on the heels of a data breach that exposed the personal information of approximately 146 million people in the U.S.

Leaders of the Senate Finance Committee said they were “taken aback” to find out the Internal Revenue Service has recently signed a $7.25 million contract with Equifax for verifying taxpayer identities after the company admitted to a massive data breach exposing the personal information of approximately half of all Americans.

The Internal Revenue Service held a meeting of its Security Summit partners Tuesday in Dallas and reported on progress in battling identity theft tied to tax refund fraud, along with some setbacks.

An old banking procedure could add another layer of security to IRS return processing.