Since the beginning of the summer, the Internal Revenue Service has been seeing a large increase in email and text message scam targeting U.S. taxpayers. These scams include including promising large tax refunds and offering speedy fixes to complicated tax problems.
Overview
Last week, the IRS reported that they are getting swarmed with reports of an email scam that is promising a third round of economic impact payments that simply do not exist. Many of these emails include a clickable link which brings taxpayers to phishing websites, where there information is ultimately compromised. Some other reports that are being received by the agency include another email scam that is encouraging taxpayers to “Claim their tax refund online.” When it comes to text messaging, people are reporting to the IRS that they are receiving text messages claiming that their return was “banned” by the agency.
IRS Commissioner Statement
“The IRS is seeing a wave of these summer scams relentlessly pounding taxpayers,” IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a statement Friday. “People are being flooded with these email and text messages, but we want them to avoid getting swept up in these terrible scams. Taxpayers should be wary; remember, don’t click on links from questionable sources.” The Internal Revenue Service, along with its Security Summit Partners have been advocating tax pros in both the private and public sector to safeguard their cybersecurity in order to protect taxpayers.
Wrap Up
There are a few things to look out for if a taxpayer believes they have been sent one of these phishing scams. Something that always stands out, whether it is a text or email, is poor grammar and punctuation. Something else to look out for are a lot of call-to-action buttons, which are linked buttons that entice people to click on them. The best advice if receiving one of these scam emails or texts is to delete it immediately. If you have any further concerns, you can email to make a report or call your accountant or advisor.