CHICAGO (WLS) — Tax season is here and so are scammers who are sending texts that look like they’re from the IRS but are designed to get your personal information or even steal your tax refund.
One example of such a scam message claims it’s from the IRS and that you are eligible to receive a $1,400 Economic Impact Payment. It says you can get the money if you reply “Y” and click the link, but no such payment from the government exists and the link is not from the IRS.
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“So, the minute you click on the link that they provided one of two things is happening, and/or potentially both things. First, you’ve probably compromised your device,” said Charlie Moore, a digital safety advisory at cybersecurity company Aura. “They can go on and gather all kinds of information, personal information that you have on those devices that they can then use and sell on the dark web.”
Moore said scammers can also gather your personal information to file for your tax return in your name. All these scams have become more believable with AI.
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“It’s the use of these large language models that everybody has access to, including these criminals and these scam artists, and it’s helping them to plan and execute fraudulent schemes that are much more effective and difficult to spot,” Moore said.
Cybersecurity experts at Guardio said they’re analyzing customer malware and phishing attempts, and they’ve found a 77% increase in tax scam related messages.
“So since the beginning of January, we’re seeing text messages arriving to people talking about tax and tax related issues. Some of them appear to be coming from the IRS. Those are all scams, and people should look out,” said Guardia Vice President of Product Karin Zilberstein.
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The IRS will never call, email or text you out of the blue.
“Not now, not ever, not in the future. Unless things change, they just know there’s too much risk in that,” said Mark Steber, chief tax information officer for Jackson Hewitt tax services. “Now, you may get a letter in the mailbox, and it may have a number, and you can call them, and they’ll call you back. But that’s not the same.”
Steber said you could also get a tax form asking about your income through payment apps.
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“If you’ve got a side hustle, every dollar that you make is taxable, that’s income. Now, the gross receipts, less the expenses is how you calculate that. The new change for 2024, this tax year, is the reporting threshold for the third-party platform. If you get more than $5,000 from any one of those platforms this year, you’ll get a 1099-K,” he explained.
If you get that 1099, you must file it, but also remember to make sure you cash in on tax credits.
“There are green energy credits from the inflation reduction act. If you’re doing home improvements or buying an alternative fuel car,” Steber said. “Child tax credit, bigger earned income credit, standard deductions are bigger.”
Don’t forget to ask your tax preparer about filing your charitable donations to reduce your taxable income. To avoid a scammer filing taxes in your name, you should file as early as possible and file electronically.
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