It is tax season, and millions of American residents and businesses are filing for 2024 income taxes. The final day to submit a tax return for last year is April 15th, 2025, and experts estimate that over 160 million people will submit income tax forms hoping for a refund.

With so many millions of people filing, it is one of the busiest times of the year for fraudsters as they try to take advantage of all the confusion that usually surrounds tax season. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is aware of the constant ongoing efforts of criminals to take advantage of taxpayers and has published a list of tax scams and fraud that hopefully will help Americans not to fall for tricks used by scammers. The comprehensive list consists of tens of common tax scams, and we’ve highlighted some of the most important ones to keep in mind;

Charity impersonators

Many websites claim that a potential donation to their cause would be tax-free, only for people to find out that the non-profit charitable organization actually does not exist or is a for-profit entity. If folks think of making a charitable contribution to claim tax credits, they are strongly encouraged to verify that the company accepting the donations is registered as a non-profit organization on the IRS website. 

You might be interested in: How to recognize a charity scam?

Credits and refund misinformation

It is important to use an honest tax preparer or be as familiar as possible with the filing process. Sometimes, people are fed incorrect information that leads them to submit an incorrect tax return. Inaccurate tax returns can lead to fines, delayed tax refund payments, and even imprisonment. Dishonest tax preparers come with red flags such as insisting on cash-only payments, refusing to sign the tax prep personally, and, in some cases, even putting a person’s refund in their bank account instead of sending it directly to the recipient. 

Impersonators and phishing

Many people get calls from people pretending to be IRS agents. However, those “agents” are usually fraudsters on the other side of the world trying to steal banking information from their targets. It is rare for the IRS to call debtors; the agency would first send letters and then try to call someone if they cannot get ahold of an individual. If someone calls out of the blue and asks for gift cards or wants banking information, it is better to hang up and ignore the call – the unexpected “bill from the IRS” is likely just a scam. The same goes for emails; if a person gets an email that asks them to click on a link to the IRS, someone is likely trying to defraud the taxpayer. 

The IRS also advises people not to rely on social media advice from unqualified tax professionals and to be cautious if someone offers tax debt settlement or relief services. In many cases, those service providers are scammers who want to steal someone’s hard-earned cash.

You might be interested in: What tools does IRS offer to help you navigate through tax season?

Tax season is in full swing. And with so many data breaches over the years, we strongly suggest folks install top antivirus software on all smart devices. The worst thing that could happen is for a fraudster to steal personal information from your device, file a tax claim on your behalf, and steal your refund. The more prepared you are with device protection, the better.