this looks more like IRS incompetence to me. they know perfectly well that 1099-Ks do not show gains/losses. sending CP2000s based on gross activity is just a lazy way for them scare taxpayers either into paying more money or hiring a tax attorney to sort it out.
i feel bad for anyone receiving these letters. i wonder what the odds of an audit are if you don't amend or agree to the IRS' changes. it's gotta increase your chances. i'm just glad i've managed to stay under the 1099-K threshold. what a headache.
it's not just coinbase. kraken, gemini, and probably others send them too.
there will always a loophole to avoid taxes, but inaccurate letters for dozens of citizens from the IRS is really something, how could someone who had incurred $2,000 of cryptocurrency investment losses, they should do better than this. Yeah, that's what they have to deal with as american citizens, fortunately for people who live in a country that doesn't ask for taxes on our capital gains.