Among the new safety measures:

• Sharing data that help authenticate a taxpayer at the time his or her federal tax return is e-filed with the IRS. The information includes the protocol number, or Internet address from which the return originates, metadata captured from the transmission and a review of computer device identification data linked to the tax return's origin.

• A first-ever sharing of tips and leads about suspected tax fraud developments by investigators and officials across the public-private tax spectrum.

• Potential formation of a Refund Fraud Information Sharing and Assessment Center where government and private sector participants will share information and tips about tax refund fraud.

• An agreement in which tax-preparation firms will operate under National Institute of Standards and Technology cybersecurity framework, a standard already used by the IRS and state tax agencies.

The agreement developed from three months of consultations among IRS and state tax officials, tax-preparation software companies such as Intuit, and major private tax-preparation firms, including H&R Block, Jackson-Hewitt, and Liberty Tax.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/...tion/71058624/