The Department of Justice Tax Division has been aggressively cracking down on those who evade their tax obligations. One of the DOJ's main focuses has revolved around identifying people who fail to declare offshore funds.  U.S. authorities have been making deals with banks to obtain information on accountholders and have created amnesty programs with the goal of getting certain violators to come forward and report previously undeclared offshore accounts in exchange for reduced penalties and avoiding criminal charges.

In 2015, more than $10 billion of transactions took place using Bitcoin. Bitcoin is a virtual currency and its use has been increasing, especially after the IRS began cracking down on offshore accounts. The increased use of Bitcoin has not escaped the notice of the IRS, though.