Every tax season, scammers ramp up efforts to steal taxpayers’ identities, data or refunds. These con artists take advantage of people’s anxiety and confusion about filing their tax returns.
In 2024, the IRS received nearly 300,000 reports of identity theft, which the agency estimates led to $5.5 billion in tax fraud. With an estimated 90% of taxpayers filing online this year, scammers have gotten even savvier in their attempts to defraud filers.
But forewarned is forearmed: Here are the top five tax scams to watch out for this tax season, according to cybersecurity expert Michael Scheumack, and tips on avoiding them.
Tax scams to watch out for
1. Calls, texts or emails from the IRS
The most common scams start with a phone call, text or email —purportedly from the IRS — asking for additional information or even offering a refund.
These cons exploit the sense of urgency we often feel when tax deadlines loom. They are also the easiest scams to avoid, says Scheumack, chief innovation officer at IdentityIQ, because the IRS won’t call or message you.
“They’re never going to pick up the phone and give you a call or send you a text,” Scheumack said. “If they need to reach you they will send you something through the post office — not an email.”
If you’re still uncertain, the IRS website explains exactly how it will and won’t contact you.
2. Voice cloning
One of the newer scams is AI-powered. If a scammer can obtain a few seconds of a voice recording of your accountant or financial advisor, they can create a fake phone call of that person asking for sensitive information.
The best defense is to always make sure calls are coming from a trusted number that’s already in your phone. If you suspect it might not be a legitimate call, you can also start asking more detailed questions that can throw off the AI software.
“It’s harder to have AI react to natural questions,” said Scheumack. “The answers generally have to be pre-programmed. So it’s best to ask something like ‘What do you need this for?’ or even ‘How was your golf game last Sunday?'”
3. Offer to set up an IRS account
Given how many people are nervous about filing incorrectly, it’s not surprising scammers offer help in setting up your online IRS account. Their motive is typically to get your Social Security number and tax details so they can file your taxes themselves and receive your refund.
While there are legitimate services that help taxpayers, creating an account is a fairly simple procedure. You can follow the steps on the IRS website to ensure you’ve done it right.
4. Promise to find unclaimed tax refunds
These scams usually come via email with catchy subject lines like “Unclaimed Refund” or “Tax Refund Payment,” often with a fake version of the IRS logo.
Typically, you’re asked to click a link and provide your Social Security number, birthday, address and driver’s license to “claim” your refund.
“But it’s a phishing website,” warns Scheumack. They may even ask for a fee to help get you a refund, he added “so you’re scammed twice — and basically paying them to steal your identity.”
Never open an email that says it’s from the IRS or click on links in such emails, he advises.
5. “Ghost” tax preparers
This is a more complex version of the phishing scam: You receive a text or email from someone offering to prepare your taxes. We’ve all worked with legitimate tax preparers, so this con can be harder to detect.
But once you give the scammer all your information and documents, they use it to steal your identity and potentially your refund. And once again, you may be charged for the privilege of being ripped off.
Scheumack’s advice is to do basic research on anyone offering to do your taxes: A legitimate tax professional will have an IRS preparer tax identification number (PTIN) indicating they are authorized to prepare federal tax returns.
“The IRS has a directory that you can search for tax preparers and it’ll tell you if they’re verified or not,” said Scheumack. “And any legitimate tax-prep company should have reviews on Google or Yelp, or be listed on the Better Business Bureau website.
Tips to avoid tax scams
In addition to being aware of the current crop of tax scams, there are some general rules to help you steer clear of fraudsters.
Avoid unsolicited calls or messages
This is Scheumack’s No. 1 rule for avoiding fraudsters: If you don’t know who it is, it’s probably a scam.
“Government agencies don’t reach out to you out of the blue over the phone or text,” said Scheumack. “Generally, you have to initiate communication with them. If somebody’s calling you and asking you for that information, that’s already a bad sign.”
Be careful what you post on social media
“People are more comfortable now about sharing their personal information publicly,” said Scheumack. “With AI you can do a lot of research [on social media] and build a profile on somebody to personalize the scam.”
He advises being extremely careful about what you post online — avoid listing even your address or phone number, which many people put on their Facebook profiles.
Don’t give in the sense of urgency
Urgency is always a red flag when it comes to scams. Criminals tend to use it to exploit people’s financial fears, especially during tax deadline season.
“There’s always going to be some sense of urgency,” Scheumack explains. “Whatever action they’re asking for needs to happen immediately or you need to click on this text message right away or you’re going to be fined.”
That’s not how the real IRS operates, he added.
Tax scam FAQs
What are some signs I might be the victim of a tax scam?
It helps to know what actions the IRS will not take when interacting with the public: The agency will never contact you or accept credit or debit card numbers over the phone or via social media. IRS agents will also never threaten to call the police, federal authorities or immigration officials. Most notably, the IRS will never leave pre-recorded robocalls or mail advertisements for tax debt resolution services.
What should I do if I think I’ve been scammed?
When are taxes due?
For most taxpayers, the deadline to file a federal tax return is Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at midnight local time. Residents and businesses in parts of the country declared FEMA disaster areas have more time
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Meet our experts
At CNBC Select, we work with experts with specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. For this story, we interviewed Michael Scheumack, chief innovation officer at IdentityIQ, an identity theft monitoring platform.
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