Tax scammers are constantly creating new ways to steal your personal or financial information. But if you know what to watch out for, you can avoid falling victim to a tax scam. The best defenses are to identify the warning signs of a potential scam and to know how the IRS will legitimately contact you.
Tax scam warning signs
Scammers mislead you about tax refunds, credits and payments. They pressure you for money, personal, financial or employee information. IRS impersonators try to make their information look legitimate, but it is not.
Watch out for:
- A big payday – If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Bad tax advice on social media could urge you to falsify tax forms or credit claims. If you mistakenly followed this type of bad advice, you may need to file an amended return to avoid fines and penalties from the IRS.
- Demands or threats – Impersonators want you to pay “now or else.” They threaten arrest or deportation.
- Website links – Odd or misspelled web links can take you to malicious sites instead of IRS.gov.
Impersonators don’t let you question or appeal the amount of tax you owe. Scammers may also promise to resolve IRS tax debts for “pennies on the dollar” or charge high fees to help you apply for an IRS Offer In Compromise. Know your taxpayer rights and understand your options for payment if you do actually owe money to the IRS.
Visit the IRS Tax Scam online help center for more information about what to do if you notice a tax-related scam or fall victim to a scammer. The IRS relies on reports from taxpayers to monitor the most common tax scams.
How to know it’s the IRS
Here’s how to know it’s really the IRS contacting you:
- Mail – Typically, the IRS contacts you first by U.S. mail. Most IRS letters include a letter or number. To verify if it’s legitimate, log into your IRS account to view a copy of the letter or contact IRS customer assistance for help. You can also search the IRS website for the letter or notice number to get more information.
- Email – The IRS will email you only with your permission. You can control your email contact settings in your IRS account. The IRS will never ask for PIN numbers or passwords for credit cards, banks, or other financial accounts. These emails are phishing attempts and should be reported.
- Social media – The IRS will never contact you about your taxes on social media.
- Text message – The IRS will not send you unexpected or unsolicited text messages. The IRS will also never send messages that ask for personal or financial information, especially related to a tax refund.
- Website – The only official IRS website is IRS.gov. Watch out for a link or attachment with a slightly misspelled web address or an unusual one like irs.com.
- Phone call – The IRS will mail you a notice or letter first, before attempting any other form of contact. For example, the IRS might follow up with a call about an audit or to verify information. The IRS will never leave prerecorded, urgent or threatening messages. Scammers might tell you that if you do not call back, a warrant will be issued for your arrest. These calls are scams.
- Fax – Sometimes the IRS sends a fax to verify employment or request reported income or withholdings.
- In-person visit – Generally, the IRS will notify you by mail before they visit your home or business. The IRS ended most unannounced in-person visits in 2023.
You might get a letter or phone call from an IRS-assigned private debt collection agency, but only after you have been notified by mail about the collection action. Watch the video below for more information about private tax debt collection.
Common tax scams
Follow the links below for more information about specific scams and fraud techniques identified by the IRS.
