Is that text or email from the IRS real?

A text or email says it is from the IRS. It may say a refund is waiting, that you owe tax, or that you must verify your identity. Do not act through the message.¹³

The IRS says it normally contacts you the first time by mail delivered by the US Postal Service. It sends emails only when you opt in, and text messages only when you opt in. A direct message on social media is never from the IRS.¹ The IRS also says a phone call, email or text is not from the IRS if it is unexpected, rushes you, threatens you, asks for personal or financial information, or demands payment now.¹

You may still have a real tax matter. The IRS does mail notices, and some letters come from private collection agencies it works with.¹ So check for yourself, using the steps below.³

Here is the kind of text to watch for:

How to tell

• It came out of the blue. A call, email or text that is unexpected is not from the IRS.¹
• It rushes or threatens you.¹ The IRS says it never calls to demand payment now, threaten arrest or tell you about a refund.²
• It asks for personal or financial information, especially about a tax refund.¹³
• It wants a gift card or prepaid card. The IRS and its private collection agencies will never ask you to pay with any form of prepaid card, store gift card or online gift card.³
• The link looks wrong. Watch for a slightly misspelled address or an unusual one such as irs.com. All IRS links go to irs.gov. Spelling errors are another sign.³
• It came as a social media direct message.¹

What to do

1. Do not reply, click links or open attachments.²
2. Find out whether you really owe tax or have a refund. Log in to your secure IRS Online Account and look for a copy of the notice or letter. If you cannot find it there, contact IRS customer service to verify it.³
3. If you got a letter, look it up on the IRS page Understanding your IRS notice or letter.¹³
4. If you do owe tax, the IRS lists every legitimate way to pay at IRS.gov/payments.³
5. Report the message, then delete it.²

If you already clicked or paid

1. Stop interacting with the scammer right away. Do not send money or share personal information.⁴
2. Contact your bank or other financial institution.⁴
3. Follow the steps on IdentityTheft.gov. If your Social Security number was stolen, also report it to the IRS, and consider reporting it to your state tax agency.⁴
4. Get an Identity Protection PIN to stop scammers from filing a tax return in your name.⁴
5. Be careful if someone offers to help you get your money back. Some scam victims get scammed again.⁴

Where to report it

• A text. Send the sender’s phone number and the message text, your phone number, and the date, time and time zone you got it to [email protected] with the subject line “Text”. Then delete the text. You can also forward it to 7726 (SPAM) and report it to the Federal Trade Commission.²
• An email. Send it to [email protected] with the subject line “IRS”. The IRS asks you to save it as a file and attach it, or use “Forward as attachment”. A plain forward strips data the IRS uses to identify the scammer. Then delete the email.²
• A phone call. Write down the number and hang up. Report it to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) hotline at 800-366-4484.²
• A letter about an unclaimed refund, tax lien or tax debt relief that seems fake. Report it to the US Postal Service and the FTC.²