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News EssentialsThe Newsroom TopicsIRS Resources | Issue Number: IR-2022-25Inside This IssueIRS warning: Scammers work year-round; stay vigilant WASHINGTON – As the new year begins, the Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers to protect their personal and financial information throughout the year and watch out for IRS impersonation scams, along with other schemes, that try to trick people out of their hard-earned money. These schemes can involve text message scams, e-mail schemes and phone scams. This tax season, the IRS also warns people to watch out for signs of potential unemployment fraud. "With filing season underway, this is a prime period for identity thieves to hit people with realistic-looking emails and texts about their tax returns and refunds," said IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "Watching out for these common scams can keep people from becoming victims of identity theft and protect their sensitive personal information that can be used to file tax returns and steal refunds." The IRS, state tax agencies and the nation's tax industry – working together in the Security Summit initiative – have taken numerous steps since 2015 to protect taxpayers, businesses and the tax system from identity thieves. Summit partners continue to warn people to watch out for common scams and schemes this tax season. Text message scams If a taxpayer receives an unsolicited SMS/text that appears to be from either the IRS or a program closely linked to the IRS, the taxpayer should take a screenshot of the text message and include the screenshot in an email to phishing@irs.gov with the following information:
The IRS reminds everyone NOT to click links or open attachments in unsolicited, suspicious or unexpected text messages – whether from the IRS, state tax agencies or others in the tax community. Unemployment fraud Because unemployment benefits are taxable income, states issue Form 1099-G, Certain Government Payments, to recipients and to the IRS to report the amount of taxable compensation received and any withholding. Any worker receiving a fraudulent or inaccurate 1099-G should report it to the issuing state agency and request a corrected Form 1099-G. For details on how to report fraud to state workforce agencies, how to obtain a corrected Form 1099-G, how to find a list of state contacts and other steps to take related to unemployment fraud, taxpayers can visit the U.S. Department of Labor's DOL.gov/fraud page. Individuals may be victims of unemployment identity theft if they received:
A notice from their employer indicating the employer received a request for information about an unemployment claim. Email phishing scams If a taxpayer receives an unsolicited email that appears to be from either the IRS or a program closely linked to the IRS that is fraudulent, report it by sending it as an attachment to phishing@irs.gov. The Report Phishing and Online Scams page at IRS.gov provides complete details. There are special circumstances when the IRS will call or come to a home or business. These visits include times when a taxpayer has an overdue tax bill, a delinquent tax return or a delinquent employment tax payment. The IRS may also visit if it needs to tour a business as part of a civil investigation (such as an audit or collection case) or during a criminal investigation. The IRS provides specific guidance on how to know it's really the IRS knocking on your door. Phone scams Criminals can fake or "spoof" caller ID numbers to appear to be anywhere in the country, including from an IRS office. This prevents taxpayers from being able to verify the true call number. Fraudsters also have spoofed local sheriff's offices, state departments of motor vehicles, federal agencies and others to convince taxpayers the call is legitimate. The IRS (and its authorized private collection agencies) will never:
Generally, the IRS will first mail a bill to any taxpayer who owes taxes. All tax payments should only be made payable to the U.S. Treasury and checks should never be made payable to third parties. For anyone who doesn't owe taxes and has no reason to think they do:
For anyone who owes tax or thinks they do:
Help for victims of ID theft Tax-related identity theft occurs when someone uses an individual's stolen Social Security number (SSN) to file a tax return claiming a fraudulent refund. Taxpayers may be unaware of this activity until they e-file a tax return and discover that a return has already been filed using their SSN. Or, the IRS may send them a letter saying it has identified a suspicious return using their SSN. If a taxpayer learns their SSN has been compromised, or they know or suspect they are a victim of tax-related identity theft, the IRS recommends these additional steps:
More information is available at: IRS.gov/identitytheft or the Federal Trade Commission's identitytheft.gov. The official IRS website is IRS.gov. People should be aware of imitation websites ending in .com. This applies to other IRS tools, too, like Free File- they all end in .gov. For more information, visit Tax Scams and Consumer Alerts on IRS.gov. Additional information about tax scams is available on IRS social media sites, including YouTube videos. More information:
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