The IRS revealed Monday that the number of victims whose tax information was potentially stolen in a computer breach earlier this year is more than two times what the agency initially disclosed in May. The total count of potential victims is now up to 334,000, with the IRS admission that an additional 220,000 had their information stolen from an IRS website as part of a scheme to steal identities to claim fraudulent tax refunds.
While the personal information was "presumably stolen from other sources," The Associated Press reports that the IRS believes thieves hacked a system known as "Get Transcript" to gain further information about the taxpayers' identities. The IRS did not identify the perpetrators of the crime Monday, but officials previously said that the hack may have been the work of identity thieves based in Russia.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.