Tax Season Scams Target Millions With Fake IRS Messages

Tax season continues to see a rise in scams involving impersonation of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), with fraudulent messages targeting individuals across the United States. These scams use multiple methods to obtain sensitive personal and financial information from taxpayers.

According to the IRS, scammers contact potential victims by email, text, phone, social media, or mail, often presenting fake refund offers or urgent alerts. These communications are designed to collect details such as Social Security numbers and bank account information.

The IRS’s 2025 “Dirty Dozen” list highlighted phishing and smishing scams that pose as the IRS, state tax agencies, or tax software companies. These schemes attempt to deceive taxpayers into providing personal or financial data by mimicking legitimate communications.

In early 2026, reports indicated an increase in impersonation scams, particularly after the discontinuation of free government-run filing systems. Fraudulent emails and texts claimed issues with refunds or flagged accounts, prompting recipients to enter sensitive information on fake websites.

What the numbers show

• In 2025, 48% of Americans received a fraudulent tax-related message
• Among scam victims in 2025, 81% lost over $500 and 5% lost over $10,000
• About 35% of scam messages involved fake refund offers with malicious links

Scam messages frequently resemble official IRS notices, using logos, case numbers, and urgent language such as “refund on hold due to filing discrepancy under updated 2026 rules.” These messages often direct recipients to counterfeit login pages to capture credentials or Social Security numbers.

Victims of these scams may experience identity theft, including the filing of fraudulent tax returns in their name, loss of refunds, unauthorized credit accounts, or compromised bank accounts. Resolving these issues can take several months and may require extensive documentation.

Data from 2025 showed that nearly a quarter of individuals reported falling victim to tax scams. Scammers commonly requested Social Security numbers, demanded immediate payments, or sought bank and credit card details from their targets.

In 2025, almost half of Americans received at least one fraudulent tax-related message. Nearly 80% of these attempts focused on gathering personal information or making threats, while over a third involved fake refund notifications containing harmful links.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.