{"id":366294,"date":"2026-04-06T16:40:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T20:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.co\/?p=366294"},"modified":"2026-04-06T16:40:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T20:40:37","slug":"beware-ai-scams-tax-season-warn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tech.co\/news\/beware-ai-scams-tax-season-warn","title":{"rendered":"Beware AI Scams During the 2026 Tax Season, Experts Warn"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column]\n<\/p><div class=\"verdict-box inform-box\" data-eventcategory=\"verdictbox\" data-component=\"verdict-box\" data-total-positions=\"3\">\n\n <div class=\"verdict-box-wrap inform-box-wrap\">\n <h3 class=\"verdict-box-title\">Key Takeaways<\/h3>\n \n <div class=\"verdict-box-info\">\n<ul>\n<li>AI phishing attacks may <strong>promise tax credits and refunds<\/strong> or threaten to collect on a debt.<\/li>\n<li>The IRS is <strong>unlikely to send anything <\/strong>other than snail mail, so be very cautious of emails or calls.<\/li>\n<li>If you&rsquo;ve been scammed, <strong>report it to the BBB, the IRS, or the Federal Trade Commission<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <div class=\"verdict-box-footer inform-box-buttons\">\n <div class=\"container\">\n <div class=\"row\">\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n[vc_column_text css=&rdquo;&rdquo;]\n<p>Tax season is a holiday for many hackers: If they&rsquo;re after financial information, there&rsquo;s no better time to wheedle it out from unsuspecting victims.<\/p>\n<p>In 2026, there&rsquo;s a new scam threat to consider, and that&rsquo;s AI. Phishing attempts might use text-based LLMs or <a href=\"https:\/\/tech.co\/news\/report-voice-based-phishing-surges\"><strong>voice-based impersonations<\/strong><\/a>, but with AI powering them, bad actors can send a hundred times as many messages.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the signs to look for, as well as the ways that experts like the Better Business Bureau (BBB) are recommending people respond in order to stay safe.<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&rdquo;2\/3&Prime;][vc_column_text css=&rdquo;&rdquo;]<\/p>\n<h2>A &lsquo;Record Number of Calls&rsquo; to the IRS<\/h2>\n<p>Many of the most recent tax-related AI scams are fear-based: They impersonate debt collectors or the IRS, claiming that their target needs to immediately pay a fictional debt.<\/p>\n<p>Threats of stronger penalties or even jail time help to keep the target too scared to question whether the phone call, text, or email they&rsquo;re responding to is actually official.<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&rdquo;1\/3&Prime;]<\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\"><a class=\"js-aw-brand-link\" href=\"https:\/\/compare.tech.co\/software-deals-live\/\" data-feed=\"XuPuf49GEEm4y0PaIQDZ0dEjkEf760Vv\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-333457\" src=\"https:\/\/images.tech.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/18114043\/About-Techco-video.jpg\" alt=\"About Tech.co Video Thumbnail Showing Lead Writer Conor Cawley Smiling Next to Tech.co Logo\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\"><\/a><strong>This just in! View<\/strong><br>\n<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/compare.tech.co\/software-deals-live\/\">the top business tech deals<\/a> for 2026 &#128104;&zwj;&#128187;<br>\n<\/strong><a class=\"js-aw-brand-link\" href=\"https:\/\/compare.tech.co\/software-deals-live\/\" data-feed=\"XuPuf49GEEm4y0PaIQDZ0dEjkEf760Vv\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-348272 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/images.tech.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/09122654\/ok-1.png\" alt=\"See the list button\" width=\"200\" height=\"85\"><\/a><\/p>\n[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&rdquo;&rdquo;]\n<p>BBB Senior Director of Communications Jason Meza, speaking to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/news\/local\/2026\/04\/03\/ai-tax-scams-surge-ahead-of-filing-deadline-better-business-bureau-says\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">KSAT news<\/a>, explained that the IRS &ldquo;<strong>has seen a record number of calls come in<\/strong>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re seeing a lot more calls, emerging calls of AI, impersonating the IRS, impersonating collectors, tax collectors, debt collectors trying to get you to pay up or face penalties or jail time.&rdquo; -Meza<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"lytics-newsletter-container\">\n <div class=\"lytics-loading-spinner\">\n <div class=\"spinner\"><\/div>\n <\/div>\n <div class=\"lytics-newsletter-OVkvkHIW\"><\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <script>\n            (function() {\n                        \n            const getFormElements = () => ([\n                {\n                    type: 'text',\n                    name: 'name',\n                    label: 'Name',\n                    placeholder: 'Name',\n                    required: true,\n                },\n                {\n                    type: 'email',\n                    name: 'email',\n                    label: 'Email Address',\n                    placeholder: 'Email Address',\n     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first matching segment from modules.target that exists in userAudiences\n                        const findMatchingSegment = (modules) => {\n                            \/\/ Loop through modules.target in priority order\n                            for (const module of modules.target) {\n                                \/\/ Check if this module's segment exists in userAudiences\n                                if (userAudiences.includes(module.segment)) {\n                                    return module;\n                                }\n                            }\n                            \/\/ If no match found, return the default module\n                            return modules.target.find(module => module.segment === 'all');\n                        };\n\n                        var modules = {\n                            target: [\n                                                                {\n                                    segment: 'all',\n                    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[matchingModule] : []\n                        };\n\n                        pathfora.initializeWidgets(filteredModules, defaultConfig);\n\n                        \/\/ Remove loading spinner after widget initialization\n                        const loadingSpinner = newsletterContainer.previousElementSibling;\n\n                        if (loadingSpinner) {\n                            loadingSpinner.classList.add('hidden');\n                        }\n                    });\n                }\n\n                initializeNewsletterWidget();\n            })();\n        <\/script>\n [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&rdquo;&rdquo;]\n<h2>IRS Typically Uses Snail Mail<\/h2>\n<p>How can you know what&rsquo;s a scam and what&rsquo;s not?<\/p>\n<p>For starters, you can reject a phone call, text or email that claims to be from the IRS. According to Meza, the IRS &ldquo;traditionally does not use these services. In fact, <strong>they will use snail mail<\/strong>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>If <strong>anything arrives unsolicited<\/strong> and you haven&rsquo;t first reached out to the IRS for information, be very cautious.<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&rdquo;&rdquo;]<\/p>\n<h2>Beware Unexpected Tax Refund Offers<\/h2>\n<p>Another tip? Common tax scams in 2026 include <strong>messages claiming that the target qualifies for new tax credits or larger refunds<\/strong> &mdash; relying on the target&rsquo;s hope for more money or a better deal to trick them into sharing personal information.<\/p>\n<p>Clicking on a link from these <a href=\"https:\/\/tech.co\/news\/irs-text-phishing-scams\"><strong>scam messages<\/strong><\/a> will direct victims to offer up Social Security numbers and birth dates, paving the way for full-blown identity theft.<\/p>\n<p>If you think you&rsquo;ve been a victim of a scam like any of the ones mentioned in this article, you should <strong>report it to the BBB, the IRS, and\/or the Federal Trade Commission<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Common scams include messages claiming the target qualifies for new tax credits or larger refunds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8412,"featured_media":366295,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-sidebar.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-366294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","col-12"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Beware AI Scams During the 2026 Tax Season, Experts Warn - Tech.co<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Common tax scams in 2026 include messages claiming that the target qualifies for new tax credits or larger refunds. 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