The COVID-19 pandemic forced government agencies to accelerate digital transformation efforts, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was no exception. The IRS was already in a significant transition period, spurred by the Taxpayer First Act, which was signed into law in July 2019. The Act was designed to improve the
Tag: tax fraud
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the issue of tax administration was low on the agenda for most. Beyond the obvious public health concerns, most business and government leaders were focused on how best to keep businesses afloat. But for those in federal, state and local governments responsible
As Tax Week arrives, tax agencies may be overlooking fraud happening under their noses – fraud perpetrated by insider threats. While the agencies are focused on the hot fraud topics of the day – identity verification quizzing, protecting PIN files, and cybersecurity – insider threats pose a particularly insidious risk.
There are several ways to buy data, and even more companies who are willing to sell it. By annual subscription or by the drink, third-party data vendors promise they can solve your identity theft and non-compliance problems. It’s as simple as signing a contract, and letting the data tap begin
International Fraud Awareness Week is here! I know, I know… Fraud Week is not quite as exciting as Shark Week. It doesn’t appeal to your taste buds like Restaurant Week. Nor does it have the quirky feel of Brain Awareness Week (nope… I’m not making that one up!!). Nevertheless, Fraud Week is
Happy Tax Day, America! Today marks our annual ritual of filing tax returns in the United States. And complaining about taxes. And cursing the IRS (even though it's misguided to shoot the messenger, in my opinion). Think you know a lot about taxes? Let's travel back in time to 1913, when
Monday, April 18th is Tax Day, aka, National Identity Theft Day. OK, that part’s not true, but as millions of taxpayers go online to file taxes, it may as well be. The majority of taxpaying citizens file online, using services such as the popular TurboTax, H & R Block, and
Tax preparation software has encouraged the gamification of tax evasion, making it tantalizingly simple to bump up the value of a tax refund. This is alarming, but it's easy to see how we got here. I love classic video games. When I was a kid, Atari made the best games, but hard
Tax fraud doesn’t just steal money from taxpayers, it can strip people of their livelihoods and reputations. When a manager in a tax agency’s property tax division stole nearly $50M in property tax refunds, the media and external auditors asked: “How did no one notice this?” The woman started small,
With tax week quickly approaching, tax agencies have been issuing press releases alerting the public they’re holding tax refunds for review longer than in years past. This is a departure for tax agencies. Tax agencies have traditionally lived and died by refund cycle time. Refund cycle time, or getting refunds