Tax Scams to Watch For: Spot Fake IRS Calls and Texts

Updated October 24, 2026

How the IRS really contacts you

Knowing the normal pattern makes scams easier to spot. The IRS says it normally makes first contact by mail, delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. A few more points:

• Email and text: the IRS emails or texts you only if you opted in.
• Social media: a direct message on social media is never from the IRS.
• Phone: the IRS or its private collection agencies may call about account matters, but a call is a warning sign if it is unexpected, rushes you, threatens you, asks for personal or financial details, or demands payment right now.

Real IRS pages live at irs.gov. Look at the web address letter by letter, because lookalike addresses and odd spellings are a common trick.

The scams that show up most

The IRS tracks a long list of schemes. These are the ones taxpayers run into most often:

• Impersonators. They pose as the IRS, demand payment "now or else," threaten arrest or deportation, and will not let you question or appeal the amount.
• Phishing emails and texts. They ask for money or personal details, and opening a link or attachment can harm your computer.
• Fake charities. Your gift may not go where you meant it to, and you cannot deduct a gift to a fake charity.
• Misleading refund and credit claims. Offers of a big payout for very little effort.
• Bad advice on social media. Tax tips from strangers that sound too easy.
• Debt relief pitches that offer to settle what you owe for "pennies on the dollar."
• Unclaimed refund mailers claiming money is waiting for you.
• W-2 fraud, unemployment fraud, and schemes aimed at seniors or disaster victims.

The common thread is pressure. Big payout claims, threats, demands and odd web links are the IRS's own list of warning signs. When you see more than one in the same message, stop and check it before you reply.

Dishonest preparers are a scam too

Not every scam comes in a text. Some come across a desk. The IRS lists tax return preparer fraud among common scams, and the warning signs are specific:

• The preparer will not sign the return or put a PTIN on it.
• They falsify information to make the numbers look better.
• They want your refund deposited into their account, not yours.
• They demand cash and will not give a receipt.
• Their fee depends on a percentage of your refund.
• They claim they can get you a larger refund than anyone else.

A paid preparer must sign the return and include a PTIN. You should never sign a blank or incomplete return, and you should read the return before you sign it. Remember that you are ultimately accountable for every item on it, no matter who prepared it. Our guide on how to check a tax preparer goes through the steps.

What to do when something feels off

The right move depends on how the message arrived:

• Email: do not reply, click links or open attachments. Report it to phishing@irs.gov with "IRS" in the subject line, sending it as an attachment if your email provider allows it, then delete it.
• Text: do not reply or click. Email phishing@irs.gov with "Text" as the subject, and include the sender's number, the message and the date and time you got it.
• Phone: write down the number and hang up. Report the call to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
• Social media: report the account to the platform and email the account's full web address to phishing@irs.gov with "Social media" as the subject.

You can also report fraud through the IRS's fake email and message page. If you are unsure whether a letter in your mailbox is real, search for its notice number on irs.gov. Our walkthrough of what to do with an IRS letter shows where to find that number.

If you already shared something

It happens to careful people. Move fast and keep a clear head:

1. Stop all contact with the sender and do not send anything else.
2. If you clicked a link or opened a file, run antivirus software on that device.
3. Change the passwords for any account you used, starting with your IRS online account.
4. Write down what you shared, when, and how.
5. If you gave out your Social Security number, read our guide to tax identity theft for the steps the IRS lists, including the Identity Protection PIN.

Reporting takes only a few minutes.

A simple check before you pay anyone

Before you send money or personal details to anyone who says they are from a tax agency, run through these questions:

• Did a letter arrive first, or did this start with a call, text or message?
• Is the person pushing me to act today?
• Are they asking for payment in a way I cannot trace or reverse?
• Does the web address end exactly in irs.gov?
• Can I find this notice on irs.gov by its number?

If any answer worries you, stop. Take a day, look the notice or claim up on irs.gov, and do not send money or personal details until you have checked it there. A real agency will still be there after you take the time to verify.

FAQ

Sources

• irs.gov/newsroom/tax-scams-consumer-alerts
• irs.gov/help/how-to-know-its-the-irs
• irs.gov/privacy-disclosure/report-phishing
• irs.gov/taxtopics/tc254
• irs.gov/newsroom/tips-for-choosing-a-tax-professional

Keep reading

• Does Filing an Amended Return Trigger an Audit
• Tax Identity Theft: What to Do If Someone Filed as You
• Behind on Taxes for Several Years? Where to Actually Start

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General information, not tax advice for your specific situation. Rules can change, and a human preparer reviews your facts before any return is filed. Zero Fuss Taxes is a PTIN-holding tax preparation firm. We are not a CPA firm, enrolled agents or attorneys.