Watch out for scam websites and text impersonating the IRS; how to spot the fakes
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A warning about fake IRS websites that are trying to trick you this tax season. The April 15th tax deadline is just about a month away and scammers are also in full swing.
Karin Zilberstein with Guardio, a cybersecurity platform, said they've identified these fake IRS websites.
"Scammers are heavily using generative AI in producing messages and fake websites. They might mimic the IRS tone and wording in messages that they're sending to the websites that they are creating. The fake websites would look very much real."
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Also, watch out for scam texts claiming you qualify for a tax loophole or benefit. There are also scam texts that claim you're eligible for an economic stimulus payment. Zilberstein says that, thanks to technology, these scam texts can even have your name, address, and other personal information.
"Scammers are taking this tactic of personalization to just get their numbers higher. And they're getting more people to fall into scams by using personalization."
Don't click on links even if the text or email is addressed to you. Instead, go directly to the IRS website.
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