You take special care to protect sensitive info in your keeping, like workers’ SSNs and bank account info you have for reimbursements. Too bad the feds don’t do the same. Between 1998 and 2007, more than 4,700 case of “unauthorized access” to taxpayers’ records were investigated by IRS. For the most part, curious IRS employees were sneaking peeks at the records of celebrities and athletes.

We can understand the temptation — who isn’t a little curious about how the stars really live? But more worrisome, a rogue IRS employee could easily access records of a former flame, an annoying neighbor or a random stranger — and commit fraud, ID theft and a host of other crimes.

Of the 4,704 cases, IRS has fired 444 employees, suspended 407 and taken disciplinary action against another 354.

Tags: Controls, Fraud prevention, IRS, Records retention