Tax season is in full swing, along with tax scams. According to the IRS, thousands of people have lost millions of dollars and their personal information to tax scams, often through a surge in email, phishing, and malware schemes.
Scammers have become sophisticated at sending messages that look like official documents from the IRS, state agencies, state officials, tax software companies, or your own tax professional. They may copy language, logos, or fonts from the IRS to make it look as legitimate as possible. These scammers are seeking to steal personally identifiable information from your official tax documents.
Popular tax scams may include messages about tax refunds or statements. They may contain a copy of the official IRS seal, leading you to click on links to check your “tax refund statement” or “fill out a form to get your refund.” These links may lead to identity theft or malware on your devices that could give scammers further access to your personal data.
It is important to note that the IRS will not contact you by email, text message, or social media to get your personal information. Take extreme caution if you get an unsolicited contact about your tax information.
If someone does reach out:
- Never click on any links. Doing so can put malware on your computer or phone, letting scammers steal from you.
- Check the status of any pending refund directly with the IRS on their official website. Visit Where’s My Refund (https://www.irs.gov/wheres-my-refund) to see if you’re really getting a refund.
Another frequently reported tax scam involves imposters pretending they’re calling from the IRS. They claim that you owe taxes and demand you pay right now, usually through payment methods that are hard to reverse, like a gift card, prepaid debit card, wire transfer, or cashier’s check.
Even if your caller ID shows it is the IRS calling, it could be a scammer. The IRS will always contact you by mail first. The IRS will also not require a specific type of payment.
If someone does call:
- Don’t give the caller information such as your financial or other personal information.
- Hang up.
- Contact the IRS directly. If you think you may owe back taxes, call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 or visit irs.gov/balancedue.
For more information on this and other forms of consumer fraud and scams, visit ProtectTheGoodLife.Nebraska.gov or call the Consumer Affairs Response Team at 402-471-2682.