IRS to Boost Use of ‘John Doe’ Summonses, Including for Crypto

The IRS plans to increase its use of “John Doe” summonses, including with regard to cryptocurrency, as part of its efforts to crack down on offshore tax evasion, an IRS attorney said Thursday.

The IRS already makes frequent use of the practice, and “expect more from us in the area of John Doe summonses,” said Carolyn Schenck, national fraud counsel in the IRS Office of Chief Counsel. She spoke at the virtual Freeman Law International Tax Symposium. “It’s a tool we will be using.”

• John Doe summonses are IRS demands for the records of anonymous taxpayers whom the IRS ...