Tax Scams in 2026: How to Check a Message or Tax Claim
Check an unexpected tax message before clicking a link, sharing information, or paying. Use IRS.gov or a phone number you already know to be legitimate.
The IRS's 2026 Dirty Dozen list includes fake IRS messages, misleading tax-credit promotions, and scams targeting tax professionals.
IRS contact
The IRS normally contacts you first by mail. It may call, and some legitimate texts and emails go to people who have opted in. It doesn't contact taxpayers through social-media direct messages.
Don't use a suspicious message's link, QR code, or callback number to verify it. Check the IRS's contact guidance instead. For an unexpected request from your preparer, call a known number before opening attachments or sharing information. A familiar sender's name doesn't establish that the message is genuine.
Tax credits and paid preparers
| What you hear | What to check |
|---|---|
| A large credit is available to almost anyone | Check the actual eligibility rules. Self-employment alone doesn't qualify you for a broadly advertised “self-employment tax credit.” |
| A form can create extra withholding or a refund | Income, withholding, and credits must reflect real facts. |
| Your tax debt can be settled for pennies on the dollar | An offer in compromise is a real IRS program. Qualification depends on your circumstances; a promoter can't guarantee acceptance. |
| A paid preparer wants to stay off the return | A paid preparer generally must sign the return and include a valid preparer tax identification number, or PTIN. |
Review the return before signing. You're responsible for its accuracy even when someone else prepares it.
Employee Retention Credit claims
The Employee Retention Credit covers eligible wages paid in 2020 and 2021. Continuing IRS processing doesn't reopen the original claim deadlines.
If an older claim may be incorrect, check the current IRS correction options. Withdrawal may be available if a claim hasn't been paid or its refund check hasn't been cashed or deposited, subject to specific requirements. Partial corrections follow a different process.
Identity Protection PINs
An Identity Protection PIN, or IP PIN, helps prevent someone else from filing a federal individual return using your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). Eligible taxpayers can request one before identity theft occurs.
If you have an IP PIN, use the correct current-year number where required. The IRS rejects an electronically filed return with a missing or incorrect required PIN; a paper return may be delayed. It doesn't protect against every form of identity theft.
Reporting suspicious messages
Don't reply or open links. Follow the IRS reporting instructions:
- Email: Forward a fake IRS email as an attachment to [email protected] with “IRS” in the subject.
- Text: Email the content, sender's number, your number, and the date, time, and time zone to that address with “Text” in the subject. You can also forward the text to 7726.
- Call: Hang up and report suspected IRS impersonation to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
If you already paid or shared sensitive information, follow the IRS's recovery guidance as well.