Cortez Masto, Blackburn Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Crack Down on Scammers Stealing Taxpayer Data

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) introduced the Strengthening EFIN Confirmation for User Reliability and Electronic (SECURE) Tax Filing Act to help the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) crack down on scammers who are stealing sensitive taxpayer information from tax professionals. There is a growing trend of scammers targeting tax professionals . These fraudsters pretend to be tax software providers and trick tax professionals into handing over Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFINs) – or numbers given by the IRS to tax firms so they can electronically file taxes for their clients. Once scammers have EFINs, they use that information to commit identity theft, file fake returns, and gain access to fraudulent refunds. Cortez Masto’s bipartisan bill would give the IRS the tools it needs to prevent this scam before it starts by creating a system to verify that tax software providers are using legitimate EFINs before they can participate in IRS electronic filing. “I’m always looking for new ways to take on scammers and protect Americans’ most sensitive data,” said Senator Cortez Masto . “It is just common sense to ensure that fraudsters can’t steal personal tax information to commit identity theft or file fake tax returns. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation that will help the real tax professionals do their jobs and keep more money in taxpayers’ pockets.” “Hardworking American taxpayers and their data must be safeguarded,” said Senator Blackburn . “The SECURE Tax Filing Act would crack down on fraudsters to stop them from stealing Americans’ personal information and exploiting the professionals who help protect them.” The SECURE Tax Filing Act would require mandatory EFIN validation before a tax firm is allowed to participate in IRS electronic filing. It would do so by creating a new, real‑time EFIN validation service for tax software providers to confirm legitimacy of an EFIN with the IRS. The service must be designed to securely verify data and support a high volume of requests. The full text of the bill can be found here . As the former top law enforcement official in Nevada, Senator Cortez Masto has been a leading voice fighting fraud throughout her career. She sounded the alarm on increasing check fraud scams, which cost consumers millions of dollars each year. Last year, she called out the Trump Administration’s former Internal Revenue Service Commissioner for his involvement in a tax fraud scheme in which he encouraged people to claim a fake Tribal tax credit. The Senator also introduced the Stop the Scammers Act to restore critical Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) funding and authorize the CFPB to reward whistleblowers who report wrongdoing. ###