House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., indicated Tuesday he would push hard for an explanation of how thieves were able to break into about 100,000 IRS accounts, an event that will once again draw the eyes of Congress to the embattled tax collection agency.
“While the committee is seeking more information about the situation, it’s deeply concerning that taxpayer information has been compromised,” Ryan said. “Protecting the taxpayer is supposed to be the IRS’s top priority, and we need answers from them.”
Ryan released his statement shortly after the IRS said that “criminals” were able to gain unauthorized access to about 100,000 taxpayer accounts, using personal data gleaned from outside the IRS.
The IRS said it determined last week that “unusual activity” took place on an area of its site called the “Get Transcript” application.
“Following an initial review, it appears that access was gained to more than 100,000 accounts through the Get Transcript application,” it said.
The IRS said criminals were able to clear an authentication process on the IRS site that required information like Social Security number, date of birth, tax filing status and street address. It said the breach is being reviewed by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and offices within the IRS.
The agency said it would reach out to the 200,000 taxpayers whose accounts experienced an attempt at unauthorized access, and would give free credit monitoring to the 100,000 taxpayers whose accounts were breached.
The IRS has been under scrutiny for the past several years for its targeting of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, overspending on lavish conferences, and its role in implementing Obamacare.
