TSSS: Drastic Increase in Reports to the IRS

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—As the 2023 Tax-Season Scams Series draws to an end, Attorney General Moody is issuing the final alert by highlighting a drastic increase in reports to the IRS on suspicious activity. The Internal Revenue Service reported a more than 300% increase in reports of suspicious activity from 2021 to 2022. Attorney General Moody launched the Tax-Season Scams Series to highlight common tax-related schemes and provide tips about how to avoid falling victim.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “IRS reports of suspicious activity skyrocketed last year—up more than 300%. To make sure Floridians are protected from common tax scams, I launched this series and hope that it continues to guide taxpayers as we move closer to the filing deadline.”

Here are some of the most common tax-related scams:

• Fraudulent Tax Preparers: Fake tax preparers, often advertising the cheapest rates or promising the greatest refunds, aim to obtain a victim’s personal and financial information;
• Tax Identity Theft: When a bad actor uses, or attempts to use, personal information of another individual to commit tax fraud;
• Refund Recalculation Scheme: Phishing emails sent to targets that look like a tax-refund payment or a recalculation of a tax refund—attaching a link to input personal information to claim the refund; and
• IRS Imposter Scams: When a scammer pretends to be the IRS by spoofing caller ID, emails or regular mail to make targets believe the IRS is legitimately attempting to make contact—all in an attempt to phish for personal information.

To access all of the Tax-Season Scam Series alerts, visit MyFloridaLegal.com/ConsumerAlert.

The IRS released online tools to help track tax refunds. You can use the ‘Where’s My Refund?’ webtool or download the IRS2Go mobile app to check the status of a refund.