The deadline for U.S. taxpayers to file their 2024 taxes is Tuesday. With the date looming, so too are the scams and scammers that prey on millions of Americans every year at this time to separate you from your money—and, even worse, your identity.
Victor Wieczorek, senior vice president at GuidePoint Security, a security consulting firm, said scammers are relying more on artificial intelligence to conduct scams.
"Unlike the typo-filled scams of the past, today's phishing emails, texts, and even fake IRS letters can be perfectly composed, and they often use your real information," he said. "We're seeing it now where fake IRS notices are going out to real addresses and using real refund history, and it was all AI-generated."
RELATED STORY | Taxpayers warned about fake $1,400 IRS stimulus check text scam
However, some telltale signs remain for determining whether something is a scam.
"There's a lot of times always urgency to some of these messages, so that could be the first telltale sign," Wieczorek said. "Scammers are using these tools to send messages that appear to come from the IRS, but of course they know they only have you on the hook for a short amount of time, so they want to try and get that money or information or whatever their objective is from you as quickly as possible. So imposter phone calls are still happening, but now, for example, AI voice tools and scripts are being layered in to make them even more convincing."
Wieczorek said the IRS will contact people through the mail and not through text messages or phone calls. He says if you were to receive a letter from the IRS, go to the IRS's website or a certified tax preparer to confirm its authenticity.
RELATED STORY | Thousands of IRS employees may soon lose their jobs as part of Trump's cuts
He said that because scams have become sophisticated, taxpayers should not feel guilty for being duped.
"No one should feel guilty," Wieczorek said. "Of course, we all have a responsibility and we should work our hardest to avoid interacting with scammers and, of course, giving them the information that they need. But at the end of the day, the most important thing is to realize that a mistake was made and to take that corrective action as quickly as possible."
