Sherri Gastelum and Platinum Tax Defenders: Identity Theft and IRS Exposure of Social Security Numbers
Los Angeles, California (PRWEB) July 22, 2013 -- There are many ways for taxpayers to protect their vital personal information from being stolen: create a password for a home wireless account, shred all paperwork including a home address or Social Security Number (SSN), or use personal identification numbers instead of an SSN. These might have been good reassurances until a recent July 8, 2013 article came out from Accounting Today: “IRS Accidentally Exposed Tens of Thousands of Social Security Numbers” (accountingtoday.com/news/IRS-Accidentally-Exposed-Tens-Thousands-Social-Security-Numbers-67360-1.html). This may be just another safety reason for those with back tax issues to hire a reliable tax relief service, says Sherri Gastelum, President of Platinum Tax Defenders.
The IRS has already come under fire from press reports and the Taxpayer Advocate Service for exposing taxpayers to identity theft. An earlier USA Today article on January 9, 2013 (“Advocate: IRS Does Poor Job on Identity Theft”) pointed out that Doug Shulman's promise of “a 'seamless' process'” is nowhere near the current reality (usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/01/09/irs-identity-theft-response-criticized/1819003/). The Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) leader, Nina Olson, was less than impressed with the six-month average wait time for taxpayers who had had their identity stolen.
Further issues pointed out by TAS, according to USA Today, included the 21 separate units used by the IRS to deal with identity theft issues. One specialist at Platinum Tax Defenders said that more hands would “exponentially increase room for error”.
While the IRS promised to “build and improve” on 2012's identity theft reports, USA Today mentioned that there were almost 450,000 identity theft problems reported to the IRS in 2012. In 2011, there were a few thousand over 250,000 issues. Now that Accounting Today has reported that the IRS allowed SSN's to be posted along with public information from Section 527 political groups, taxpayers may not feel safe without the help of a tax resolution or tax relief service.
At least, says Sherri Gastelum, this will ensure that citizens with a need to guard their personal information will have someone looking out for their best interests, and ready to spot any potential breaches of protection. Specifically, a tax resolution firm who has an on-staff tax attorney would know what legal protections should be given to those whose identity has been compromised, and have the issue resolved quickly. Per Accounting Today, it took from February to July for the security breach to be identified, and the website (PublicResource.org) to be shut down.
The Platinum Tax Defenders team includes President Sherri Gastelum, tax attorney Dustin Wetton, and a number of CPA's and Enrolled Agents. The Platinum Tax Defenders website shows a successful track record of IRS negotiations, specifically dealing with Offers in Compromise. Sherri is President of Platinum Tax Defenders in California's Simi Valley, and the National Association of Professional Women. Tax attorney Dustin Wetton's law degree was earned at the California Western School of Law, and other tax resolution specialists can be contacted for a free 20 to 40 minute consultation at 1-877-668-1807, or through email at info(at)tax-resolution(dot)me.
Sherri Gastelum, Platinum Tax Defenders, http://tax-resolution.me/, 1-877-668-1807, [email protected]
Share this article