Protect your tax refund from scammers

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Tax season is underway which means scammers are after your refunds.

The biggest scam to watch out for this tax season is the impersonation scams. This is where scammers send you a text, email, or call you pretending to be with the IRS. Remember the IRS does not take these actions to get a hold of you and demand immediate payments. Instead, the agency will send you a letter.

Remember do not click on any links or provide any information as scammers are trying to get as much personal and financial information to possibly file a return and steal your refund. If you're asked to pay in gift cards, wire money, or pay through a cash app, those are all red flags.

Besides these impersonation scams, you also need to watch out for fake tax preparers. CPA Aradhana Aggarwal said, "A lot of these scammers will claim that they can get you faster refunds, they can get your returns processed faster, and they can get you the highest refund. So whenever you get that, just make sure that those tax preparers are legitimate."

To make sure your tax preparer can file returns, check on IRS.GOV as every preparer needs to have a preparer tax identification number (PTIN). To protect your return, make sure the tax preparer signs your return and doesn't sign an incomplete return. If you're getting a refund, make sure it's listed to go into your bank account, not the tax preparers.