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Avoid IRS Scams During Tax Season
Each year during tax season, bad actors take advantage of various scams to victimize individuals and businesses. These tactics typically rely on fake communications that appear authentic and, in many cases, include severe threats for non-cooperation. In 2025 alone, several clients have reported receiving unusual emails, texts, and social media messages pretending to be the IRS. Usually, it includes information about an alleged unpaid tax amount and a promise of significant repercussion if the balance is not immediately paid. Others promise large refunds due to mistakes in return preparation. The fraudster will ask for financial details such as bank account information, Social Security number, and other personally identifiable information. The result is money is stolen, and the individual’s identity is compromised.
To avoid becoming a victim of these scams it is essential to understand how the IRS communicates with taxpayers. For example, the IRS will always send a letter or notice before calling/emailing. When the agency does call, they never leave pre-recorded or threatening messages. Knowing this information will make it easier to identify a potential scam and avoid becoming an unwilling victim. To help clients, prospects, and others, Dermody Burke & Brown CPAs has provided a summary of the key considerations below.
Letters & Notices
Legitimate communications from the IRS typically start with a mailed letter or notice. It can be difficult to determine whether a communication is real because the fakes used by scammers often look very legitimate. Before responding to any inquiries, the best thing to do is to determine its authenticity. There are a few ways to do this, including:
Log in to the secure IRS Online Account to see if there is an electronic version of the letter or notice available for review.
Contact IRS customer service by talking with a representative especially if an electronic version of the communication was not found.
Review the detailed explanation of the purpose of each IRS letter and notice on the IRS website.
If communication is from a debt collector, it is advised to review the private debt collection FAQs to learn more about how to verify if the agency is legitimate.
Phone Calls
IRS agents may reach out to taxpayers using the phone but only for specific purposes. Generally, they will call to confirm a scheduled appointment or to discuss items for a scheduled audit. Warnings signs of fraudulent calls include:
Threatening Messages – The IRS does not leave pre-recorded, urgent or threatening messages demanding immediate payment. Agents do not threaten to secure arrest warrants for non-payment during a telephone call. These calls are all scams.
Private Collection Agencies – Collection agencies that work with the IRS may call taxpayers to collect outstanding amounts, but this comes only after sending written notices.
Accepted Forms of Payment – A taxpayer will never ask to pay an outstanding debt using a pre-paid card, store, or online gift card. The IRS offers a payment resource center which provides information on the legitimate ways to pay a debt.
Warning Signs of a Scam
For those that receive an unexpected letter or text from the IRS or another source such as a bank, credit company, or tax software provider, there are some easy ways to quickly identify if it is not legitimate, including:
Check for spelling or grammatical errors. Communications sent by the IRS or other professional organizations do not have such errors.
If there is a link to a website be sure the URL name is spelled correctly. It is common for scammers demanding payment to take the victim to a similar BUT false URL. An example might be a link that points to IRS.com. All legitimate links to the IRS website should point to https://www.irs.gov/.
Threats or urgent requests to make an immediate payment, to follow a link or to open attachment. The IRS does not send such messages.
Contact Us
Each year tax scams become increasingly more complicated, leaving taxpayers susceptible to becoming victims. If you receive a suspicious communication or request for payment, it is best to ensure it’s validity before taking action. If you have questions about the information outlined above ior need assistance with another tax or accounting issues, Dermody Burke & Brown CPAs can help. For additional information call 315-471-9171 or click here to contact us. We look forward to speaking with you soon.