Scammers impersonating government and state employees, and other legitimate organizations are the latest batch of tax scams the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) would like to make you aware of to help protect you and your money from fraud.
Email and Text IRS Scams
You should look out for fake communications from scammers posing as legitimate organizations in the tax and financial community, including the IRS. These messages can arrive in the form of an unsolicited text or email to induce you to provide valuable personal and financial information that can lead to identity theft, including phishing and smishing.
Here are two scams that the IRS wants you to be mindful of:
- Phishing Tax Scam: This phishing scam begins with an email sent by fraudsters claiming to come from the IRS or another legitimate organization, including state tax organizations or a financial firm. The email will try to lure you into the scam by a variety of ploys such as enticing you with a phony tax refund or frightening you with false legal/criminal charges for tax fraud.
- Smishing Tax Scam: A text or smartphone SMS message that uses the same technique as phishing. Scammers often use alarming language like, "Your account has now been put on hold," or "Unusual Activity Report" with a bogus "Solutions" link to restore the recipient's account. Unexpected tax refunds are another potential target for scam artists.
The scammer's aim is to fool you into giving them access to your Social Security number, personal bank account details, or credit and debit card information.
If someone contacts you claiming to be from a government agency (for example the IRS, law enforcement, Medicaid, or the post office) and asks you for your Social Security number, bank account/credit card numbers, or to withdraw money to process an outstanding payment or refund - this is a scam.
How the IRS Contacts Taxpayers
The IRS initiates most contacts through regular mail and will never initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text or social media regarding a bill or tax refund.
Just remember this:
- The IRS will never demand payment without first sending you a bill.
- The IRS will never take a debit or credit card number over the phone.
- The IRS won’t threaten to bring in law enforcement to have you arrested.
- The IRS gives you a chance to appeal the amount you owe and plead your case.
- You can report and view commonly used Scams on the FTC.GOV website.
If you get an email or text like this, ignore it. If in doubt, call the IRS number in your area to be sure you have nothing to worry about.
Read more of our collection of Learning Hub Security articles for tips on safeguarding your personal financial information and avoiding online fraud.
