- File early:
Filing your taxes early will make it less likely that a fraudster will try to file a claim in your name. Learn more about this scam on the IRS website Internal Revenue Service | An official website of the United States government (irs.gov).
- Don't click on links sent by someone claiming to be with the IRS:
Links from fraudsters can be malicious, and even if the link itself isn’t malicious (like a virus), it’s likely sending you to a page set up by the fraudster for the purpose of stealing your personal information.
- Did someone contact you out of the blue and pressure you to wire them money?
The IRS will not make cold calls to taxpayers to demand money or threaten penalties. Unless you’re expecting a call from someone at the IRS, don’t answer the call. The IRS will never:
- Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer.
- Threaten to immediately bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have the taxpayers arrested for not paying.
- Demand that taxes be paid without giving taxpayers the opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed.
- Call unexpectedly about a tax refund.
- Beware of fraudsters impersonating government agency phone numbers
Make scamming harder for fraudsters by keeping your personal information private. This means don’t share things like your online banking user ID and password, your Social Security number, your birth date or your card information.
- File a report:
If you believe you’ve encountered a tax season fraudster, visit the report phishing and online scams page (Report Phishing | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov) to report an IRS imposter.
