Tax Season Is Here. So Are the Scammers.
- Anna Smith
- Mar 27
- 3 min read
Every year, tax season rolls around and — right on schedule — so do the phishing emails, fake IRS texts, and identity theft attempts. It's not a coincidence. Your tax return is basically a goldmine of sensitive data: Social Security number, income details, banking information, all bundled together in one place. Criminals know this. They're counting on you being stressed, distracted, and moving fast.
The good news? A few deliberate habits go a long way. Here's what actually matters.
File Early
This one's simple and effective. Fraudsters sometimes file returns using stolen SSNs before the real person does — claiming your refund before you even log in. The earlier you file, the smaller the window they have to work with. Employers are required to send W-2s and 1099s by January 31, so once your documents are in hand, there's no reason to wait.
If you discover someone has already filed a return in your name, contact the IRS immediately at irs.gov/identity-theft-central.
Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN
The IRS offers a free Identity Protection PIN — a six-digit code tied to your SSN that has to be included on your return. Without it, the IRS won't process a return filed in your name, even if someone has your Social Security number. You get a new one every year, and you can set it up through your IRS online account. It takes a few minutes and it's genuinely one of the most effective protections available. There's no good reason not to use it.
Turn On Multi-Factor Authentication — Everywhere
Your IRS account, your tax software, your bank, your financial accounts. MFA adds a second verification step — an authentication app, a face scan, a one-time code — that makes it significantly harder for someone to break in even with your password. A password alone stopped being enough a long time ago.
Know How the IRS Actually Communicates
The IRS does not email you out of nowhere. It does not text you. It does not slide into your DMs. If you receive an unexpected message from someone claiming to be the IRS — especially one creating urgency, threatening legal action, or asking for payment — it's a scam. Full stop. Don't click any links. Don't download attachments. Go directly to irs.gov by typing it yourself if you need to verify anything.
Scammers also impersonate tax prep services and financial institutions, so the same skepticism applies across the board. When in doubt, go to the source directly.
Ask Your Tax Preparer Hard Questions
If you work with a tax professional, their security practices are your problem too. Your data is only as safe as the systems protecting it. Worth asking: How do you protect client data? Do you use encrypted portals for document sharing? Who has access to my information? How are records stored and backed up?
A reputable preparer should have real answers to all of these. If they don't, that's useful information.
Share Documents Securely
Regular email attachments are not a secure way to transmit tax documents. Use encrypted portals, follow your preparer's secure upload process, or use a trusted courier with tracking if mailing physical documents. A few extra steps here can meaningfully reduce your exposure.
Back Up Your Records
Create both digital and physical backups of your tax documents. Encrypted cloud storage, an external hard drive, a locked filing cabinet — ideally more than one of these. The IRS generally recommends keeping records for at least three years, and certain situations may require longer. Ransomware exists. Devices fail. Backups matter.
The Bottom Line
Tax season is a high-stakes window that scammers actively prepare for. The threats are real, but so are the defenses. File early, lock down your accounts, verify before you click, and store your documents somewhere secure. None of this has to be complicated — it just has to be deliberate.
Stay sharp out there.
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