Most Depressing Statistic – Income Taxes [pic]

Mitt Romney’s IRS [comic]

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Social Security Numbers Available Online Via Indexed Tax Documents

ZDnet posted this very scary article. The gist of it is that the author was able to find other people’s tax documents online. Those documents were posted online by the owners themselves. Obviously, the solution is simple – DO NOT STORE PRIVATE INFORMATION ONLINE! That’s about as cut-and-dry as it gets.

As one who keeps up with the cutting edge of search engines and advanced search querying, it is with much reservation and disbelief that I bring you the results of my latest online investigative research. As of 4/10/2011, I have discovered in excess of 50 tax documents containing any given combination of Social Security numbers, credit card information, names, addresses, tax IDs, and phone numbers being made available online. However, unlike recent leaks of email addresses and password hashes being made available due to hackers compromising systems, these documents are being unknowingly made freely available to prying eyes by the very owners of said information.

Sounds unbelievable, right? It gets worse.

To clarify, these are tax documents as they have been/will be submitted to State and Federal government: Names, addresses, income, phone numbers, credit card numbers (stored from e-filing), and worse of all, Social Security numbers. The latter is the most detrimental of all not just because of the individual filing their taxes having their identity potentially stolen, but because of individuals who have children that they use for tax credits. As any parent knows, you must include certain information about your children when using them for tax breaks; namely, their names and Social Security numbers. That takes identity theft into a completely different atmosphere since a child having their identity stolen most likely will not find out until years down the road long after the damage has been done and the perpetrator has vanished. The potential consequences of such ignorance are far-reaching.

Continue reading HERE.

The Optimist’s View of Tax Day [pic]

The Future of The IRS [pic]

13 Strange Taxes (And Tax Breaks)

It’s difficult to find anything funny about taxes, but this article will do. My favorites of the weird taxes is the tax on illegal drugs in the state of Tennessee and companies being allowed to write off the expenses of bribery in Germany.

Read all 13 HERE.

Assume The Position – Ziggy [pic]