The IRS does not email you. They do not text you. They do not call demanding immediate payment with gift cards. And yet, every February through May, our inbox fills up with forwarded "IRS" messages from clients asking the same question: is this real?

It's a good instinct. The scams have gotten more polished. The logos look right. The grammar has improved (LLMs are helping the bad guys too). Here's how to tell what's actually from the IRS and what isn't.

The Three Most Common Tax Scams Right Now

"Your refund is being processed — click here to verify." This one preys on excitement. Click the link, "verify" your Social Security number and bank routing on a page that looks like irs.gov but isn't, and your information is in someone else's hands within minutes.

"We've detected suspicious activity on your tax return." This one preys on fear. Urgent language, threats of penalties, a phone number to call "before midnight." Real IRS correspondence does not work this way.

"Tax debt collection — settle today or face seizure." The aggressive variant. Sometimes by phone, sometimes by email, sometimes with spoofed caller ID showing "IRS." The script is designed to scare you into wiring money or buying gift cards before you have time to think.

The Six Things Real IRS Communication NEVER Does

The IRS contacts taxpayers by mailed letter — that's the primary method. They will never:

  1. Email you about a tax issue without you contacting them first
  2. Text you
  3. Demand immediate payment over the phone
  4. Ask for credit card numbers over the phone
  5. Threaten arrest, deportation, or license suspension
  6. Ask for payment in gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency

If any of those things happen, it's not the IRS. Full stop.

The 10-Second Check

Hover over the "from" address and any link in a suspicious email (don't click — just hover). Real IRS emails end in @irs.gov. Real IRS links go to irs.gov (no dashes, no extra words). Anything like irs-refund.com, irs.gov.payment-now.net, or a Gmail address is fake.

On mobile, tap and hold the link to preview the URL before tapping it.

What to Do If You Got One

  • Don't click anything. Don't reply. Don't forward to coworkers ("hey, is this real?") in a way that risks them clicking it.
  • Forward it to [email protected] — the IRS actually does want these reports. Then delete it.
  • If you're not sure, call the IRS directly at 1-800-829-1040 using a number from irs.gov, not any number in the email.
Quick Check Before You Call Hover (don't click) over any "IRS" link in your email. Look at the actual URL that appears. If it doesn't end in irs.gov, it's a scam. That's the whole test.

When It's Time to Lock Down Your Business Email

Tax scams are just one flavor of phishing. The same playbook gets used against vendor accounts, payroll systems, and business banking — and these scams target small businesses because they're easier to fool than large companies with full IT teams.

If you'd like a look at your office email setup — spam filtering, link protection, employee training — we can help.