Look out for tax season scams and robocalls

JACKSON — Amid the typical tax season stress, residents are also tasked with remaining vigilant when it comes to cybercrime.

Don’t respond to emails or text messages about your refund, the Federal Trade Commission said.

IRS impersonators want to dupe people into forking over sensitive information this tax season.

Fake emails and text messages about “tax refunds” are being sent, the FTC said, with links the scammer is hoping residents will click on. The links may help the impersonator steal your identity or put malware on your phone or computer.

“If someone contacts you unexpectedly about a tax refund, the most important thing to know is that the real IRS won’t contact you by email, text message or social media to get your personal or financial information,” the FTC said in an alert. “Only scammers will.”

Laura Baker, the director of CyberWyoming, reminded people that the real IRS won’t call anyone out of the blue.

“Sometimes you get the robocalls where they say, ‘Please hold for an IRS agent’.” Baker said. “And the IRS doesn’t do that either.”

One robocall targeted one of Baker’s employees in late February. The employee was prompted to press a number to speak with Baker, but she recognized that it wasn’t Baker’s usual voicemail.

“She hung up and called me and asked if it was me,” Baker said.

CyberWyoming always recommends this: hang up and verify.

Somehow the hacker placed the call using Baker’s personal cell phone number, but Baker assured her colleague that she hadn’t called.

“Exercise caution when receiving unexpected calls, especially if they appear to be from familiar contacts but prompt you to take unusual actions, such as pressing a specific number to speak to the caller,” Baker wrote in a March 1 CyberWyoming newsletter.

CyberWyoming also recommends filing tax returns early to beat cybercriminals to the punch. Early filing reduces the window of opportunity for scammers to file fraudulent returns in your name and intercept your refund.

People can also obtain an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) from the IRS to safeguard online tax data.

The unique six-digit number adds an extra layer of security, preventing unauthorized tax filings using your Social Security number, according to CyberWyoming.

“Keep that PIN number really safe,” Baker warned. “If you write it down, keep it in a locked file cabinet and maybe a safety deposit box. Don’t keep it on your phone unless it is encrypted in password management software.”

People can check the status of their refund at IRS.gov.