You just filed your taxes when a text pops up: “Your IRS refund is on hold.” There’s a link to “verify” your account. The message looks official. Real logos. Legal language. Even your city.
Before you click, slow down. That message isn’t from the IRS.
Criminals ramp up activity during tax season. Here’s how to protect yourself so your refund stays yours.
📱 The IRS isn’t texting you
Phishing emails used to be easy to spot. Typos everywhere. Weird grammar. But not anymore. Now they’re polished, convincing and timed perfectly for tax season.
Watch for these common tricks:
Scary emails saying it’s the “final notice before legal action.” The IRS doesn’t contact you through text, email or social media. If the message starts there, it’s a scam.
Texts asking you to “verify your W-2” or direct deposit details. Don’t click. The phishing site may look just like IRS.gov, but it’s fake.
Calls from an “IRS enforcement unit.” Hang up. Even a calm, official-sounding voice could be an AI voice clone.
Social media posts promoting “maximum refund.” These are often fake preparer ads. If they ask for payments by gift card, wire transfer or crypto, run.
Scammers want panic. Your advantage? Slowing down.
✅ Check before you panic
If a message claims to be from the IRS, stop and do this instead:
- Go directly to IRS.gov by typing it into your browser.
- Log in or use their refund tracker tool to check your status.
- Verify tax preparers through the official IRS directory.
- Click here to report suspicious emails or texts to the IRS.
If these scams seem oddly personal, there’s a reason.
🔎 Where scammers get your info
They buy them from data brokers. They collect information from retailers, public records, data breaches and way more. Then they bundle that data into profiles and sell it to anyone willing to pay.
The more criminals know about you, the easier it is to make a scam look real.
Incogni’s free digital footprint checker scans data broker sites to see where your personal details may be exposed. The results might surprise you.
🎯 Make yourself a harder target
That’s why I use and recommend Incogni. Their team sends legal removal requests to more than 420 data brokers and people-search sites, asking them to delete your personal information. The same data that criminals buy to message you.
Since I joined, they’ve sent over 2,700 removal requests on my behalf. I’d never have the time to do that myself.
You sign up once. A real person handles the paperwork, tracks responses and keeps you updated. Not just during tax season, but all year.
✅ Use code KIM60 for 60% off, and start removing your data today. You can’t stop every scammer from trying. But you can make their job harder.