The Internal Revenue Service has lost to thieves or has misplaced another batch of computers, adding to the thousands already missing there and from other government agencies.
In the latest case, there are fears that some of the missing machines might carry private taxpayer information and Social Security numbers.
An audit released yesterday by the Office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration found that the IRS cannot account for an unknown number of the 6,600 laptop and desktop computers it lends to volunteers who assist low-income, disabled and senior citizen taxpayers in preparing their returns.
Earlier audits found that the Customs Service couldn't account for about 2,000 computers and the Justice Department for about 400. Earlier this summer, the inspector general reported that some 2,300 computers were unaccounted for in other areas of the IRS.
