Remember reading about the TurboTax security breach? It wasn’t in the Intuit professional tax software division, however it is Intuit nonetheless that could be facing the music.
Two TurboTax users whom have been the victims of identity theft are now coming forward to file a class-action lawsuit against them. The claims are that TurboTax “Rather than protecting customers’ personal and financial information by implementing stricter security measures, TurboTax has instead knowingly facilitated identity theft tax refund fraud by allowing cybercriminals easy access to its customers’ most important private information.”
One of the plaintiffs hadn’t used TurboTax since 2011. She received a $242 bill from TurboTax claiming it was for filing her federal return with the software in four different states. At that time she hadn’t yet filed her 2014 return.
The other plaintiff had a similar situation as well. Now, the representing lawyers (Richard McCune of McCuneWright in Redlands, California; Michael Sobol of Lieff, Cabraser, Heinmann & Bernstein in San Franciso; and John Yanchunis of Morgan & Morgan in Florida) are inviting other victims of TurboTax related identity theft to join in the proposed class action suit.
Back in the beginning of the tax season, Intuit stopped TurboTax filings to increase security measures. At this point damage had already been done and though Intuit is denying any wrong doing they state “We recognize that the industrywide problem of tax fraud has increased this tax season and our focus remains on playing our part in fighting it. We intend to defend ourselves vigorously in the appropriate forum.”
This is giving tax payers yet another reason to NOT DIY their taxes and use a tax professional who uses quality professional tax software. Unfortunately for some it is already too late and they will always have to deal with the delay of paper filing and waiting for longer periods to receive returns.
At some point tax payers will start asking, “What platform do you use to file my returns? Is it secure? Should I be concerned?” Don’t be afraid to brag about your professional tax software. Use it to give them piece of mind. Better yet, answer the question before they ask! If you are an UltimateTax fan, we are happy to provide you with marketing materials for your office. This will give your clients a sense of security, knowing that you truly have their best interest at heart.
If you are interested UltimateTax materials, please feel free to contact me via email, Jennifer@ultimatetax.com or reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+. We are happy to put together a package to suit your specific needs.
UltimateTax Service, Inc. is a professional tax software provider. We provide this information as a service to our clients and friends. The information we post is for your viewing and knowledge pleasure. We take all information we post seriously and stand behind what we post. However, the information we post is not meant to be used as your sole position in tax cases.
