After a security breach during the 2015 tax season, the IRS has decided to change its policy regarding identity theft and disclosure of information from fraudulent returns. Previously, the IRS refused to release information from fraudulent returns to the taxpayer affected citing privacy concerns. After receiving pressure from the U.S. Senate , the IRS has decided to reverse the policy and provide victims whose returns were fraudulently filed with redacted copies upon request. The idea behind the policy change is to give victims of identity theft peace of mind and a way to take proper steps to secure their information. Click this link to view an article which gives more details into the situation.
On top of disclosing fraudulent returns, the IRS has promised to improve its security measures to prevent scams from happening in the first place. This includes the goal of better collaboration between the IRS, states, and tax professionals to better identify fraud, unify cyber security framework, and help verify taxpayer authentication. Working together can allow the IRS to gather more leads regarding fraud schemes scammers are using, which should create a safer tax environment for taxpayers and the tax system as a whole.