Every filing season brings a wave of messages pretending to be from the IRS. The IRS publishes its own warnings about them each year, and the same few scams come back with new dates on them. AI writing tools mean the emails are now often polished and error-free, so you can't rely on spotting typos.
This guide covers the tax scams that come back every year, the warning signs, and how to check a message before you act on it.
The IRS doesn't start contact by email, text or social media to ask for personal or financial information, and it never demands payment by gift card, wire or crypto. Its website is irs.gov. When a message says otherwise, log in to your IRS online account yourself and check there.
The 7 Tax Scams That Come Back Every Year
"Your tax refund is ready" email
You receive an email with the IRS logo claiming you have a refund waiting and need to "verify your bank details" to release it. The link goes to a fake irs.gov lookalike like irs-refund-portal.com.
Real refunds go to the bank account on your tax return. You can check their status yourself with "Where's My Refund?" on irs.gov.
SMS "tax overpayment" scam
A text like "IRS: You overpaid by $1,247. Claim refund: tinyurl.com/irs-claim". Shortened links hide the real destination. The IRS doesn't text you out of the blue about refunds. Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM), then delete it.
"You owe back taxes" threatening call
An automated voice claims you owe thousands and threatens arrest unless you pay immediately — usually via gift cards, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency. The IRS takes payment through irs.gov, by check, or by card through its approved processors. It never demands immediate payment over the phone, and never in gift cards or crypto.
W-2 phishing aimed at HR/payroll
An email pretending to be from the company CEO asks payroll to send all employee W-2 forms. Within minutes, scammers file fraudulent returns using those Social Security numbers. If you work in HR, never email tax documents without verbal confirmation from the requester in person.
Fake tax preparer storefronts
"Tax preparers" who appear in January with promises of huge refunds, file inflated returns, take a cut, and disappear by April. The IRS holds you legally responsible. Always check that a preparer has a PTIN (Preparer Tax Identification Number) registered with the IRS.
"Tax debt relief" robocalls
"Our tax attorneys can settle your IRS debt for pennies on the dollar — call now." Some of these are outright scams; many charge large upfront fees for results they can't guarantee.
Before paying anyone, try the free options: the IRS's own payment plans and Offer in Compromise pre-qualifier on irs.gov, and the independent Taxpayer Advocate Service. Be very wary of anyone who wants a large fee upfront and promises a result.
Fake stimulus / "tax credit" landing pages
Years after stimulus payments ended, scammers still run ads for "unclaimed stimulus" or "new tax credit you qualify for". They harvest your SSN, file fraudulent returns in your name, then pocket the refund.
How to Spot a Fake IRS Website
- 1 Anyone can put "IRS" at the start of a text. The IRS doesn't text you out of the blue about refunds.
- 2 An oddly precise amount makes it feel like it came from real records.
- 3 Refunds don't expire in 48 hours. The deadline is there to rush you.
- 4 A shortened link hides the destination, which is usually a copy of an IRS page asking for your bank details and SSN.
The IRS's own site is irs.gov. A few official partner services, such as IRS Free File, run on other domains, so reach those only through links on irs.gov. Here are the patterns scammers use:
- Fake TLD:
irs.com,irs.net,irs.info,irs-payments.org— none of these are the IRS. - Hyphenated lookalikes:
irs-gov.com,irs-refund.com,irs-help.net. The hyphen is the giveaway. - Subdomain tricks:
irs.gov.refund-portal.com— only the final part before the slash is the actual domain. Here, the domain isrefund-portal.com, notirs.gov. - Typosquats:
1rs-refund.com(number 1 instead of letter i),iirs-gov.com. Scammers can't register .gov names, so they use lookalikes on other endings.
What To Do If You Got Scammed
If you entered your SSN, bank info, or tax documents into a fake IRS site:
- Report identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov — this is the federal one-stop shop. It walks you through everything.
- File IRS Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) to flag your account so fraudulent returns are blocked.
- Freeze your credit with all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) — free, takes 5 minutes each.
- Forward the scam email to
phishing@irs.govand report the website at reportfraud.ftc.gov. - Check your tax transcript at irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript to see if anyone has already filed in your name.
Where a link check helps, and where it doesn't
For refund texts and "verify your account" emails, checking the link works well: the destination is usually a lookalike domain registered shortly before tax season, and a scan shows its age and any phishing flags quickly.
The phone scams (#3 and #6) and fake preparers (#5) involve no link at all, so no scanner can see them. And a scan can't tell you whether you really owe money. Only your IRS online account can, so check there.