The IRS Is Coming for Your Secret Crypto Stash

The agency is training auditors to find hidden crypto wallets.

Training Guide

According to a leaked internal training guide, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) might begin issuing subpoenas to tech companies in order to find people's secret cryptocurrency wallets.

We recommend you thumb through the full guide, which was first shared online by CPA Laura Walter and which the IRS confirmed to CoinDesk was authentic, mostly because it looks like it was designed by an eight-year-old. But also because it reveals a number of aggressive tactics, like obtaining people's entire app download history and bank records, that the IRS may use to track down undisclosed crypto.

Chasing Coins

The slides were presented to IRS staffers during an event at the World Bank in Washington D.C. last month. The IRS told CoinDesk it has presented the training guide to other law enforcement agencies as well as "partners from dozens of countries around the world."

The guide runs through basic definitions and concepts from the world of cryptocurrency and outlines how agents can go about tracking down hidden wallets, such as monitoring social media and subpoenaing "financial accounts, including, but not limited to, the Subject’s bank, credit card, and PayPal records."

Cole refused to comment, however, when CoinDesk asked if the IRS actually planned to use the various techniques outlined in the document — which, again, looks hilarious. But the fact that IRS agents now have these tricks up their sleeves is bad news for anyone who's been trying to hide their money.

READ MORE: IRS Confirms It Trained Staff on Finding Crypto Wallets [CoinDesk]

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