Orlando, Fla. — Let’s start with a basic principle here.
The Internal Revenue Service will never text you to request personal banking information.
With that said, scammers are getting more and more clever with their delivery and timing.
Florida State Attorney Ashley Moody is warning the public about latest fraudulent text messages that appear to be sent from the IRS.
It may deceive recipients into submitting personal banking information in order to receive a $1,200 stimulus check.
“As long as COVID-19 remains a threat, scammers will attempt every trick in the book to exploit taxpayers and coerce them into disclosing personal information. I encourage all Floridians to familiarize themselves with emerging COVID-19 scams, available on our COVID-19 resource webpage at MyFloridaLegal.com/COVID19.”
The sender claims to be from the “COVID-19 TREAS FUND” and requires “further action” for the payment to be deposited into the account.
The text message is followed by a phishing link.
When clicked, the URL opens a website fraudulently impersonating the IRS.
Here’s what to do if you receive one of these scam text messages
Immediately report it to the IRS by emailing a screenshot of the message to Phishing@IRS.gov with the following information:
- Date, time and time zone the text message was received;
- The 10-digit phone number that sent the text; and
- The recipient’s (your) mobile phone number.
If you’ve received a text message that appears to be a scam—COVID-19 related or not— report it to the Attorney General’s Office by visiting MyFloridaLegal.com, calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or downloading the No Scam app, available in English and Spanish, on all Apple and Android devices.
If you believe you are eligible for the Economic Impact Payment, please visit IRS.gov.
If you do not have a filing requirement but are eligible for EIP, use the non-filers tool on the IRS website before Nov. 21 to claim the payment.
Cox Media Group
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