Maybe you are getting a refund. Maybe you owe money to the IRS this tax season. Either way, you don't want to lose more money by handing information to the wrong people.
That may be easier said than done this season.
Cybersecurity company Guardio warns of a massive rise in phishing attempts targeting taxpayers this year. In just two weeks, from early to mid-January, Guardio reported a 77% surge in Internal Revenue Service-related spam messages.
"I know people get scammed. I know they do," said a homeowner named Lee, who asked that we not publish his last name.
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Lee reached out regarding texts and emails he's received that claim to come directly from the Internal Revenue Service.
Lee said he could see his older relatives falling for one message that popped up on his phone: "It's got IRS in brackets. " He read us the bogus text message.
The message continues, "You'll receive a tax refund of $573. We cannot process it due to incomplete personal information."
The message encourages Lee, or other convinced taxpayers, to "please confirm your information in the link."
Artificial intelligence leading to a surge in fake texts
Guardio's vice president of product, Karin Zilberstein, said generative AI contributes to the rise of phishing messages.
"It's easier nowadays for scammers to produce messages and send them at scale," she said, "lure more people, and have more people hurt."
Guardio projects a rise in the number of IRS-related spam messages this season.
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One text example the company provided tells the person receiving the payment, "You are eligible to receive a $1,400 economic impact payment."
Another example is a "sneaky loophole that lets you get tax-free gold."
See some of the fake emails and texts you may be targeted by this spring:
Zilberstein explains this is the common language in phishing schemes: “Luring you into a fake website where you would be likely to put in your personal details," she said. "The most sensitive ones, like your Social Security number or your credit card information.”
Melanie McGovern with the Better Business Bureau reminds taxpayers that the IRS will not contact you over text, email or social media.
"So you want to make sure you're not clicking links, you're not panicking," McGovern said, "that you're reaching out to the IRS directly and asking them the questions."
That's what Lee does now, but he worries about others, especially his older relatives.
"It's terrible, it's terrible," he said.
If you're still unsure if an IRS message is legitimate, ask a trusted tax preparer for help identifying what's real versus a fraudulent scheme.
That way, you don't waste your money.
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