Customer experience

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.

The Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee is recommending ways for the Internal Revenue Service to combat tax fraud and identity theft with better cybersecurity.

The Internal Revenue Service is planning June 18 as the tentative date for moving its e-Services platform to what it promises will be more secure and modern technology.

The Internal Revenue Service’s new procedure for authenticating withholding information did not go completely smoothly this past tax season, although it did hold promise for combating identity theft and tax fraud.

A new report from the Government Accountability Office questions the usefulness of services such as identity monitoring, credit monitoring and identity theft insurance, particularly when it comes to safeguarding against tax refund fraud.