On July 3, 2023, the Internal Revenue Service warned taxpayers to be on the lookout for a new scam mailing that tries to mislead people into believing they are owed a refund.
The new scheme involves a mailing coming in a cardboard envelope from a delivery service. The enclosed letter includes the IRS masthead and wording that the notice is "in relation to your unclaimed refund."
Like many scams, the letter includes contact information and a phone number that do not belong to the IRS, and it seeks a variety of sensitive personal information from taxpayers – including detailed pictures of driver's licenses. All this can be used by identity thieves to try obtaining a tax refund and other sensitive financial information from your accounts.
According to IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel: "These scams can come in through email, text or even in special mailings. People should be careful to watch out for red flags that clearly mark these as IRS scams."
An unusual feature of this scam is that it tries tricking people to email or phone very detailed personal information in hopes of stealing valuable information.
The letter tells the recipients they need to provide "Filing Information" for their refund. This includes some awkwardly worded requests like this:
"A Clear Phone of Your Driver's License That Clearly Displays All Four (4) Angles, Taken in a Place with Good Lighting."
The letter probes for more sensitive information including cellphone number, bank routing information, Social Security number and bank account type, followed by a poorly worded warning:
"You'll Need to Get This to Get Your Refunds After Filing. These Must Be Given to a Filing Agent Who Will Help You Submit Your Unclaimed Property Claim. Once You Send All The Information Please Try to Be Checking Your Email for Response From The Agents Thanks"
Odd punctuation and a mixture of fonts in awkward working are also hallmarks of a scam.
In one example in this particular scame, the letter says the deadline for filing tax refunds is Oct. 17; the deadline for people on extension for their 2022 tax returns is actually Oct.16, and those owed refunds from last year have time beyond that.
Plus, the IRS handles tax refunds, not "unclaimed property."
The IRS never initiates contact with taxpayers by email, text or social media regarding a bill or tax refund. You may receive a letter, but even, then be wary!
As a reminder: Never click on any unsolicited communication claiming to be the IRS or anyone else you are not expecting anything from, as it may surreptitiously load malware. It may also be a way for malicious hackers to load ransomware that keeps the legitimate user from accessing their system and files.
Just as with any other scam, NEVER click on attachments or respond in any way to an unexpected letter, text or phone call. If you receive a suspicious phone call, hang up.
If you receive an email that looks legitimate, but raises suspicions check the email address it is sent from.
If it has nothing to do with the agency or person SUPPOSEDLY sending it. Then, you should suspect it's spam. You can report it as spam to the correct agency, or you can just delete it. Always be careful with sharing your personal information. Identify thefts are way too common, and very long and expensive to fix.