Be warned: Fraudsters are sending texts disguising themselves as the IRS in an attempt to trick you with offers of fake COVID-19 relief or tax credits that are too good to be true.
In a news release this week, the federal tax agency said it’s identified a recent spike in phishing attempts that are coming through as text messages. IRS-themed scams have targeted hundreds of thousands of Americans in recent months. The texts direct taxpayers to click a link that collects personal information or sends malicious code to users’ devices.
“This is phishing on an industrial scale,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a news release.
The best way to avoid becoming a victim of a phishing attempt is to not click suspicious links. In fact, the IRS says you can delete any texts that claim to be from the agency. If you do receive a spam text, the IRS encourages you to report it via email. (Further instructions on how to do that are available here.)
Since the fall of 2020, the IRS has observed an increase in phishing scams that seek payment or personal information. The…
