I annually reflect
on what was unique about every tax season, other than this is a difficult profession.
I can understand why accounting graduates increasingly dismiss public
accounting as a career choice.
I am concerned
with the increasing concentration of confidential information in an accounting office.
We have
always had your name, address, birthdate and social security number.
Right there
is big bucks to an Eastern European identity thief.
Riding the
best-intentions train, you now have states – Tennessee comes to mind – that
will not allow you to pay their (Hall) tax with a check. No sir, you have to
have that bad boy drafted against your bank account. I understand Tennessee’s
position – it is cheaper than handling a check – but I do not care about their
position. How dare they coerce you to make it convenient for them to Soprano your
money. If it is so much trouble, then stop taking the money!
You have no
choice with those states.
So we have
your bank information.
We now have
additional “identity theft” safeguards. For example, some states require
driver’s license information before you can file your return. Wow, I now have a
copy of your driver’s license. And your spouse’s, if you are married.
Seems the government
has shifted data protection responsibility to your friendly neighborhood tax
preparer.
I did not
want your data. I still don’t want it, but there it is - on my server.
Which can be
carried away in an instant.
How hard
would it be for someone to take down my office door, walk to the server, pull
out all the wires and walk out with the thing?
And their
goes your name, address, birth date, social security number, bank account
information, driver’s license, those of your spouse and children, and who knows
what else.
Identity
thieves are spending way too much time hacking into Target and other major corporations.
It would be
easier to break into CPA offices across the fruited plain. One person. One
server. Repeat. You could probably knock out a dozen or two in a day.
Thank
heavens our government is standing guard over all CPA firm servers in all the
offices in all the cities across the land.
Otherwise we
would have reason to be concerned.
