Tax refund not coming? IRS red flags worrying factors, here are Do's and Don'ts for taxpayers while filing

Taxpayers must pay attention as robocalls, texts, and phishing emails from scammers are up this tax season compared to previous years, with artificial intelligence likely increasing fraud attempts, according to the consumer protection bureau of the Federal Trade Commission. Consumer advocates and government officials urge the public to stay wary, to stop and think before engaging with phone or text messages, and to remember the IRS will not contact you directly by text or phone.

Each year, the IRS releases its "Dirty Dozen" of tax scams that target taxpayers. At the top of the list is impersonation of the agency by email, text, and phone. The IRS reported over 600 social media impersonators during fiscal year 2025, and urges people not to "click links or open attachments from unexpected messages."

Income Tax Scams in U.S.

The IRS also reminds taxpayers it "does not leave urgent, threatening prerecorded messages, call to demand immediate payment, or threaten arrest."

Scammers often use alarming language and QR codes to send people to fake websites where they ask the taxpayer to "verify" accounts or enter personal information, according to the IRS.

Links may also install malware or malicious software, such as ransomware, which could prevent access to files and private information. "AI-enabled IRS impersonation by phone (robocalls, voice mimicry, and spoofed caller ID)," is also increasing, according to the agency. As phone scams evolve, AI provides new computer-generated tactics and spoofed caller identification to look legitimate.

Tax Filing - Do's and Don'ts

In this vein, identity theft is one of the most common forms of fraud around tax season, according to Rosario Mendez, an attorney for the bureau of consumer protection at the FTC. Mendez defines this type of theft as the misuse of one's social security number or other personal information, often to collect a tax refund.

If someone has already used your social security number to file a tax return before you, it's important to let the IRS know. You should also go to IdentityTheft.gov to report the theft, according to Mendez. At the end of that reporting process, the government will give you a personal recovery plan.

Alan Butler, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, echoed this, encouraging victims of scams to seek identity theft monitoring going forward as well. That said, he warns people not to pay high costs for these services, which are sometimes shady themselves, but to thoroughly vet the offerings.

"People can be victimized not only once with the theft of their identity, but a second time, because the monitoring services are trying to up-sell them," he said.

If you've been the victim of a scam and you've lost money, you may also want to file a report with local police, according to Stokes. "Even if you get pushback from local law enforcement, you should insist on the report," she said. "There may be a means of restitution for fraud victims down the road, and they would want that as a point of proof of what happened."