How to Stay Safe This Tax Season

The IRS is once again warning taxpayers about a rise in increasingly sophisticated tax scams heading into the 2025 filing season. Recent activity shows a continued surge in phishing and mobile smishing attempts that impersonate the IRS. These messages often claim that an account has been locked, unusual activity has been detected, or a refund is waiting, all designed to trick victims into clicking malicious links or revealing personal information.

We wrote about these common phishing tactics back in February 2024, but new variations continue to appear. Among the latest trends is the spread of false tax advice on social media, where misleading posts encourage people to claim credits they’re not eligible for or to file incorrect forms. Another emerging threat involves scammers posing as “tax services” offering to set up IRS Online Accounts on behalf of taxpayers. While there are sometimes legitimate tools that do this, criminals use them to set up malicious processes to capture Social Security numbers and other sensitive information and then file fraudulent returns. The IRS stresses that taxpayers should always create their accounts themselves directly through IRS.gov. Finally, fraudsters continue to circulate fake charities around tax season, in an effort to solicit donations and harvest personal information. 

How to Stay Safe This Tax Season

• Be cautious of any unexpected communication claiming to be from the IRS. The IRS does not reach out by email, text message, or social media to ask for sensitive information or to prompt you to click a link. Always go directly to IRS.gov instead of using links sent in messages.
• Avoid relying on tax tips or “refund tricks” circulating on social media.
• Create your IRS Online Account personally and only through IRS.gov. Never allow a third party to set one up for you, as scammers may use this to obtain your Social Security number and other sensitive information.
• Verify the legitimacy of any charity before donating. Use the IRS Tax‑Exempt Organization Search to confirm that the organization is real and in good standing.