Saturday, May 23, 2009

IRS PUTS YOU AT RISK FOR IDENTITY THEFT!!!

IRS lax in destroying sensitive tax papers - report

WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) - Sensitive documents about U.S. taxpayers were found in trash outside all Internal Revenue Service sites visited in a investigation, putting the people at risk of identity theft, an inspector's report says.

The tax collection agency must bolster oversight of contractors who dispose of papers with personally identifiable information, the inspector general for tax administration at the U.S. Treasury said in the report released on Thursday.

"At every location we visited, we found documents containing PII (personally identifiable information) or other SBU (sensitive but unclassified) information in regular waste containers and/or dumpsters," it said.

"If security policies are not adequately communicated and adhered to, sensitive taxpayer information and employee data are at an increased risk of disclosure or other improper usage."

Americans have lost more than $45 billion to identify theft, according to the Federal Trade Commission. FULL STORY.

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