What the IRS actually says: The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text message, or social media channels to request personal or financial information. The IRS only emails or texts taxpayers after getting their permission, with a few exceptions like ongoing criminal investigations.
How the fake refund text works
Step 1
The bait
A text claims an unclaimed refund, a filing error, or a QR code to "verify" your account — always urgent, always time-limited.
Step 2
The lookalike site
The link (or QR code) leads to a page mimicking IRS.gov, asking for your Social Security number, bank details, or login credentials.
Step 3
The theft
What you enter goes straight to the scammer — used for identity theft or to file a fraudulent return in your name, not just card fraud.
How to spot it
- Any text or DM at all: The IRS's own rule is unqualified — it does not start contact this way, ever, without your prior consent.
- A QR code: A growing tactic specifically flagged by the IRS in its 2026 Dirty Dozen warnings.
- Urgency around a refund: Real IRS refund status is checked at irs.gov/refunds — never through a link someone sent you.
What to do if you get this text
- Don't click, don't scan, don't reply.
- Report it: Go to irs.gov/help/report-fraud and follow the reporting steps.
- Check the real way: Use irs.gov/refunds directly, typed manually, to check any actual refund status.
Egidio: your automatic phishing detector
Tax season brings a predictable spike in these texts, because everyone is thinking about refunds. Egidio catches the fake link before it can do anything.
Egidio screens incoming calls and scans links arriving through your messaging apps in real time. When it recognizes a fake IRS or government site, it blocks the page before it loads.
Install Egidio