Beware Tax Payers! Scammers Taking Advantage of Tax Season as Filing Deadline Draws Near

With less than a month until the federal income tax return deadline on April 15, cybercriminals are intensifying their efforts to exploit taxpayers rushing to file their returns.

Security experts warn that this time-sensitive period creates an ideal environment for scammers to target both money and personal data from unsuspecting individuals.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has recently unveiled its 2025 “Dirty Dozen” list of tax scams, highlighting an alarming increase in sophisticated phishing attempts.

These schemes predominantly arrive via email or text message, appearing to be legitimate communications from the IRS, tax software companies, or financial institutions.

Sophisticated Phishing Campaigns Target Taxpayers

“Scammers are relentless, and they use the guise of tax season to try tricking taxpayers into falling into a variety of traps,” warns Terry Lemons, IRS communications senior adviser.

Security researchers at F-Secure note that today’s phishing attempts are increasingly sophisticated, with AI-generated messages that can include the potential victim’s real name and address to enhance credibility.

These communications typically create a false sense of urgency, threatening legal consequences to manipulate recipients into revealing sensitive information.

The IRS emphasizes it will never initiate contact with taxpayers through email or text messages about tax issues. Any unexpected communication claiming to be from the IRS should be treated with extreme caution.

Beyond traditional phishing, cybercriminals have advanced to using deepfake technology to impersonate IRS officials and other authority figures over the phone.

This artificial intelligence-based voice manipulation allows scammers to sound convincingly like someone the victim might trust.

In one documented case, fraudsters used voice-generating AI software to mimic a company executive’s voice, successfully conning $243,000 from a UK-based energy company. Similar tactics are now being deployed against taxpayers.

“Scammers only need three seconds of your voice to imitate it. It’s really important to try to limit your biometrics that are out there,” cautions security experts.

Perhaps most concerning is the rise in tax-related identity theft, where criminals use stolen Social Security Numbers to file fraudulent tax returns and claim refunds.

Victims typically discover the fraud only when they attempt to file their legitimate returns, finding someone has already filed using their information.

The IRS reports that resolving these cases can take up to a year, during which victims may have legitimate refunds frozen until the matter is resolved.

Protecting Yourself During Tax Season

Security experts recommend several protective measures:

1. Verify any communication claiming to be from the IRS by contacting the agency directly through its official website or phone number.
2. Be suspicious of calls demanding immediate payment or threatening legal action.
3. Use multi-factor authentication on financial and tax-related accounts.
4. Check if your personal data has been compromised using identity theft monitoring tools.
5. File your tax return early to reduce the risk of fraudsters filing first.

The IRS urges taxpayers who suspect they’ve encountered a scam to report it to phishing@irs.gov and, if money was lost, to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the Federal Trade Commission.

With vigilance and awareness of these evolving threats, taxpayers can better protect themselves during this vulnerable period.

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