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Never share sensitive information in response to an unexpected message claiming to release, verify, or fix a tax refund. Do not provide your Social Security number (SSN), employer identification number (EIN), bank or credit-card details, account numbers, passwords, PINs, driver’s-license number, passport number, or other personal and financial information. The IRS says it never texts people to request personal, financial, or tax-account information, payments, PINs, passwords, or account numbers.
Refund-themed texts, emails, and social-media messages can look official while directing you to a fake sign-in page or a payment request. Treat an unsolicited refund offer, urgent demand, threat, unfamiliar link, or attachment as a warning. Do not reply or click. Instead, open IRS.gov yourself, check your IRS Online Account, or contact the agency through a number you independently locate.
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Information to keep out of a tax-refund message
A legitimate tax refund does not require you to disclose confidential information to an unexpected sender. The following details should never be sent in reply to a refund text, email, direct message, or pop-up.
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| Information | Examples | Safe response |
|---|---|---|
| Government and tax identifiers | SSN, Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, EIN, tax-account numbers | Do not send them. If a tax issue is real, verify it through an IRS-initiated channel or your secure IRS Online Account. |
| Banking and payment data | Bank account and routing numbers, debit-card or credit-card numbers, card security codes, checks, payment-app details | Never provide them to claim a refund or pay an unexpected fee. Contact your bank directly if you already disclosed them. |
| Login credentials | IRS, email, bank, or tax-preparer usernames and passwords; one-time codes; security answers | Do not enter them after following a message link. A real agency will not ask for passwords or PINs by text. |
| Identity documents | Driver’s-license number or image, passport number or image, state identification details | Keep copies and numbers private unless you independently confirm a legitimate, necessary request. |
| Personal contact and device data | Full name, address, telephone number, email address, IP address, date of birth | Do not volunteer a complete identity profile to an unsolicited sender, even if some details appear to be correct. |
The IRS identity-protection guidance lists names, addresses, telephone numbers, SSNs, EINs, bank or credit-card numbers, email or IP addresses, driver’s-license numbers, and passport numbers as examples of personally identifiable information. It advises sharing an SSN only when it is necessary, the requester is trusted, or you initiated the contact. An unexpected refund message meets none of those conditions.
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What an authentic IRS text can—and cannot—do
Do not assume every message mentioning the IRS is automatically fake. The agency has an opt-in text program for specified services. People who give permission may receive appointment reminders and certain service updates. That limited service does not turn text messaging into a way to collect credentials or money.
The IRS’s text-message policy says: “We never text to ask for: Personal, financial or tax account information; Payments of any kind; PINs, passwords or account numbers.” A message that asks for any of those items is inconsistent with the policy, regardless of its logo, caller ID, formatting, or apparent knowledge of your tax situation.
The same caution applies to email and social media. The IRS says it does not initiate contact through those channels to request personal or financial information. A message may tell you that a refund is waiting, that your return failed verification, or that you must pay a fee before money can be released. Those explanations do not make a request for sensitive data legitimate.
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Warning signs in a refund message
Scammers use a familiar tax deadline and the promise of money to make a rushed decision feel reasonable. Look for several indicators together rather than trying to identify the sender with certainty from one detail.
- Unexpected contact: You did not recently ask the IRS for a text, appointment, or update.
- Pressure or threats: The message gives you a short deadline, threatens arrest or account closure, or says you will lose a refund unless you act immediately.
- A refund or credit offer: It promises an unusually large payment, a special credit, or a correction that you did not request.
- A demand for personal or financial information: It asks for an SSN, bank details, card number, password, PIN, or identity document.
- A payment demand: It requires an upfront “processing,” “release,” or “verification” fee.
- An unfamiliar destination: The link uses a misspelled domain, an unusual address, a URL shortener, or a site that is not IRS.gov.
- An attachment or unexpected sign-in page: Opening it may install malware or capture credentials.
- A familiar-looking sender: A display name, phone number, or accurate personal detail is not proof of authenticity; those elements can be spoofed or obtained elsewhere.
One warning sign is enough to stop and verify independently. You do not need to prove that the sender is a criminal before refusing to share information.
How to verify a refund notice safely
Verification should begin with a channel you choose, not one supplied by the message. Use this sequence when a notice seems plausible.
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- Stop the conversation. Do not reply, press a button, call the number in the message, or scan a code. Do not open attachments.
- Open the official site yourself. Type IRS.gov into your browser or use a saved bookmark. Do not copy the address from the message. Confirm that the address bar shows the official IRS domain before signing in.
- Check your IRS Online Account. Look for notices, payment records, return information, or refund details inside the secure account. A message that exists only in a text but not in your account deserves no trust.
- Use independently found contact information. If the account does not answer your question, find IRS customer-service information on IRS.gov or on a paper notice you already possess. Do not use a phone number or email address supplied by the unexpected sender.
- Compare the request with IRS rules. A request for a password, PIN, account number, payment, or personal and financial information by text fails the agency’s stated policy even if other parts of the notice look professional.
Checking an account directly protects you from both fake websites and “look-alike” portals that imitate government branding. It also prevents a scammer from learning that your number or email address is active.
What to do with a suspicious message
Preserve enough information to report the attempt, then remove it from your inbox or phone. The IRS advises forwarding a suspicious IRS-related email, or a copy of a suspicious text, to [email protected]. Include the original content when possible; do not add your SSN, account credentials, or other confidential information to the report.
- Use your phone’s or email service’s spam and phishing report function.
- Block the sender after reporting it.
- Do not negotiate, threaten, or warn the sender; replies can generate more attacks.
- If a link opened, close the page. Do not download software, approve browser notifications, or enter information to “cancel” the request.
IRS Tax Tip 2026-02, published January 8, 2026, warns that phishing and smishing messages are used to steal personal and financial information and that links or attachments can harm devices. A message that contains malware risk should be handled as a security incident even if you did not type any data.
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If you already shared information
Act according to what was exposed. Speed matters, but do not let a follow-up caller pressure you into sending more information to “fix” the problem.
Bank or card information
Call the bank or card issuer using the number on your card or an independently verified statement. Explain that the details were disclosed to a suspected tax scam. Ask whether the account should be frozen, replaced, or monitored, and review transactions for unauthorized activity. Do not call a number supplied by the message.
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Change the exposed password immediately from the real service’s app or website, not from the message. Change it anywhere else you reused it, and turn on multifactor authentication where available. A one-time code can allow an attacker to bypass a login; report that compromise to the affected provider.
SSN, EIN, or identity-document details
Stop communicating with the sender and follow the recovery guidance at IdentityTheft.gov. Monitor tax and financial accounts for unfamiliar activity. The IRS recommends creating an IRS Online Account and obtaining an Identity Protection PIN. An IP PIN helps prevent someone from filing a federal return using your identity; protect the PIN itself and never send it in response to an unexpected message.
Information entered on a suspicious page
Record what you entered, when you entered it, and which device you used. Run the device’s current security checks, update its operating system and browser, and remove unfamiliar applications or browser extensions. If a work device or account was involved, notify your organization’s security contact.
Money sent to the scammer
Contact the payment provider immediately and ask whether a transfer, card payment, wire, check, or payment-app transaction can be reversed. Keep receipts, message headers, phone numbers, and account details for the provider and law-enforcement report. Do not pay a second fee to recover the first payment.
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This guidance concerns impersonation of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. State tax departments may use different communication channels and may publish their own opt-in text policies. If a message claims to come from a state agency, locate that agency’s official website independently and check its published rules. Do not extend the IRS’s exact texting policy to a state department without verifying the state’s guidance.
A quick decision checklist
- Did you initiate the contact or opt in to the specific IRS service?
- Does the message avoid requests for personal, financial, tax-account, payment, PIN, password, and account-number information?
- Are you checking the notice through IRS.gov or your IRS Online Account rather than its link?
- Does the same information appear in the secure account or an independently verified IRS notice?
- Have you avoided replying, clicking, opening attachments, or calling the supplied number?
If any answer is no, stop and verify through an official channel. The safest refund message is one that leads you to check your account yourself, not one that asks you to disclose secrets in a text conversation.
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