Scammers using AI to create fake IRS sites. Here's other scams to watch out for.
Cybersecurity experts expect a significant surge in tax-related scams in the final month before Tax Day.
Security software company DNSFilter found that traffic to malicious domains with "tax" in the name peaked 30 days before Tax Day in 2024.
Phishing and smishing remain the most common forms of tax-related scams, according to DNSFilter, where attackers impersonate legitimate entities like the IRS through email, text, or phone calls to steal personal information.
The IRS warns it will never threaten legal action, promise a refund, demand payment through text or email, or call and ask for your credit or debit card information over the phone.
Yet scammers still manage to prey on thousands of taxpayers each year. The average tax scam victim last year lost an average of $8,199, according to McAfee.
Cybersecurity firm Guardio has tracked a 77% increase in tax-related phishing scams in 2025.
AI-generated imposter websites, emails
Guardio's Karin Zilberstein said scammers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to create realistic imposter websites and emails.
"It's increased the quality of scams," she said. "So scams just look so much more real, their language is more eloquent, the links are more realistic, the visuals on the fake website imitate precisely the imitated brand."
An official government website like IRS will always end in .gov. A site purporting to be the IRS ending in .org, .com, or anything else should be a red flag.
Phishing texts
A common imposter IRS text currently circulating asks for your personal information in order to receive your economic impact payment.
The texts include a link to click to "provide you accurate personal information."
Ignore it. The IRS says those who qualify for this legitimate credit because they didn't claim it on their 2021 returns don't have to do anything in order to get it.
"No action is needed for eligible taxpayers to receive these payments," it reads on the IRS website.
"Ghost preparers"
The IRS also warns to be wary of who you hire to prepare your taxes.
Scam preparers set up fake websites to steal your information. In other cases, the agency says so-called "ghost preparers" refuse to sign or include their IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) as required by law. These fake preparers will often collect a fee and then leave you on the hook for fraudulent or incorrect returns.
You should always ask for a preparer's PTIN up front and use the IRS.gov website to find preparers in your area who currently hold professional credentials recognized by the IRS.
Bad social media advice
The IRS, again, cautioned against taking tax advice from TikTok or other social media platforms.
As CBS News Philadelphia previously reported, inaccurate and misleading advice has led to an uptick in wrongful claims in recent years, according to the agency.
"Social media platforms routinely circulate inaccurate or misleading tax information, including on TikTok where people share wildly inaccurate tax advice," the IRS stated.
Claiming ineligible credits could lead to fines and delay legitimately owed refunds.
One piece of advice that continues to circulate is about a non-existent "Self-Employment Tax Credit" that's misleading taxpayers into filing false claims, according to the IRS.
Promoters market it as a way for self-employed people and gig workers to get big payments for the COVID-19 pandemic period when in reality, the underlying credit being referred to is a much more limited and technical credit called the Credits for Sick Leave and Family Leave.
Do you have a money question, a consumer issue, or a scam story you want to share? Email InYourCorner@cbs.com.
