{"id":211447,"date":"2025-04-01T00:00:57","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T07:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=211447"},"modified":"2025-07-29T17:47:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T00:47:17","slug":"your-phone-is-the-1-target-in-a-new-wave-of-irs-scams-mcafee-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/your-phone-is-the-1-target-in-a-new-wave-of-irs-scams-mcafee-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Phone Is the #1 Target in a New Wave of IRS Scams, McAfee Finds"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">As Tax Day looms and last-minute taxpayers feel the pressure, a surge of IRS scams is on the rise.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Research by our McAfee Labs team projects a fresh wave of sophisticated tax scams as the stress of peak filing season sets in, with bogus text messages leading the way.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Nearly half of taxpayers complete their taxes between mid-March and April 15, which gives scammers ample opportunity to cash in as people rush their filings with the IRS.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Based on our data from 2024, here\u2019s what we can expect in the coming days:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">We\u2019ll see a surge in tax scams<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u202f\u2013 The number of malicious tax scam URLs\u202fnearly\u202fquadrupled\u202ffrom February 1 (2.9% of activity) to February 28 (10.5%) last year, with the biggest spike at the end of the month.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Mobile attacks will dominate<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u202f\u2013\u202f76% of all tax scam activity in 2024 targeted mobile users via\u202ftext, often using\u202fURL shorteners\u202fto disguise fraudulent links.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;multilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Highly coordinated scam campaigns will roll out<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u202f\u2013 A\u202fsingle campaign accounted for 17.3% of all tax-related blocked URLs in 2024, using fake IRS-style links (like,\u202f&#8221;irs.gov.tax-helping[.]com&#8221;).<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">In addition to posing as the IRS, scammers will pose as tax prep and tax software companies as well. Just as in years past, taxpayers can further expect scams built around quick refunds and easy filing solutions that are actually fronts for scams. Yet whatever guise scammers put on, their aim remains the same. They want to dupe taxpayers out of their personal and financial info.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">Common Tax Scams To Look Out For\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Tax season is high season for scammers because so much personal info gets gathered and shared online. With that, many taxpayers have their guard down. They expect to see messages, ads, and so forth about their taxes, which can make them more willing to share some of their most personal info. That\u2019s where scammers step in. They want to:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Steal account info \u2013<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Scammers try to highjack account or financial info associated with credit cards and banks to steal funds and make purchases with a victim\u2019s card.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">File false returns \u2013<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Scammers also try to file false returns in a victim\u2019s name and claim their refunds, which leaves the victim without their money and a fraud claim on their hands.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Commit identity theft \u2013<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Scammers use the info they steal to open new credit lines and accounts in a victim\u2019s name.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Re-sell stolen info<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> \u2013 Finally, scammers can also turn a profit on their victims by selling stolen info on dark web marketplaces. Instead of using it to commit identity theft<br \/>\nthemselves, they sell it to others who will.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:4278190080}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Looking at this list, you can see what makes tax scams so damaging. Many of them target our most precious of personal info\u2014our Social Security Numbers (SSNs).\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">A stolen SSN opens the door to some of the most painful forms of identity theft, like imposter fraud, insurance fraud, employment fraud, and more. These follow-on attacks can cause great harm to a victim\u2019s finances and reputation in ways that can take months, or even years, to repair.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">How Tax Scams Work<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">In effect, tax scams deliver a one-two punch.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">It begins by baiting the victim with a phony message from a scammer posing as the IRS, a tax prep business, or a tax software company. That might come by email, a direct message on social media, or even in paid search results.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Largely, scammers bait victims with texts. Mobile attacks indeed dominate the preferred contact method, just as we called out. Here, scammers often use\u202flink shorteners\u202fto disguise fraudulent links. (You\u2019ve likely seen plenty of link shorteners like bit.ly and goo.gl. They make it easier to share long addresses, but the flipside is that there\u2019s no quick way to tell where they really take you.)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">In some cases, scammers attempt to trick taxpayers by weaving \u201cirs.gov\u201d into the web address. Below you can see one example, where the domain isn\u2019t \u201cirs.gov.\u201d It\u2019s actually \u201centes-tax[dot]com,\u201d which leads to a scam site.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:2,&quot;335551620&quot;:2,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-211448\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Examples_Fake_IRS_Texts.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Examples_Fake_IRS_Texts.png 1000w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Examples_Fake_IRS_Texts-300x154.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Examples_Fake_IRS_Texts-768x395.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Examples_Fake_IRS_Texts-205x105.png 205w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">Scam texts that weave \u201cirs.gov\u201d into a malicious link<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:2,&quot;335551620&quot;:2,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:864,&quot;335559737&quot;:864,&quot;335559738&quot;:200}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">As for the text itself, scammers send urgent-sounding messages about tax returns like, \u201cYour refund is on hold, contact the IRS immediately.\u201d Other scammers use fear, leveling threats like jail time for non-payment. In other cases, scammers threaten to revoke things like driver\u2019s licenses and business licenses, or even immigration status. According to the IRS, these are common signs of a scam. The IRS never uses threats or tactics like these to resolve tax issues.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The second punch comes by clicking the link in these messages, which leads to IRS copycat scam sites. And they can look convincing. The most sophisticated of them mirror the look and feel of the official IRS website and use URLs that look \u201cclose enough\u201d to an IRS URL, which can trick anyone who doesn\u2019t examine them closely.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:2,&quot;335551620&quot;:2,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-211463\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screen-Shot-2025-03-26-at-1.30.27-PM.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"503\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screen-Shot-2025-03-26-at-1.30.27-PM.png 1000w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screen-Shot-2025-03-26-at-1.30.27-PM-300x151.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screen-Shot-2025-03-26-at-1.30.27-PM-768x386.png 768w, https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screen-Shot-2025-03-26-at-1.30.27-PM-205x103.png 205w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">Example of a fake IRS claim website<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335551550&quot;:2,&quot;335551620&quot;:2,&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215,&quot;335559685&quot;:864,&quot;335559737&quot;:864,&quot;335559738&quot;:200}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">And that\u2019s where the damage gets done. Under the false pretense of receiving a refund or making a payment, the scammers collect that precious personal info we talked about, which can cause short- and long-term fallout for victims.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The same approach works for scammers who pose as tax prep services and tax software companies. The texts and websites look different, yet they\u2019re still part of a scheme for collecting the same types of personal and financial info.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>How To Avoid Tax Scams<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Clever as these scams are, you can avoid them. The first step is awareness. By reading this article and sharing it with others, you spread the word about these scams and just how rampant they are.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">From there, you can take several more steps that can keep you far safer during tax time:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;335557856&quot;:16777215}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Be suspicious of emails and phone calls claiming to be from the IRS. The IRS typically contacts people by physical mail, not by email or text. (See their <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.irs.gov\/help\/how-to-know-its-the-irs\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">list of ways the IRS will contact you<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> for more details.)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Never give out personal <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">info<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> on the phone. The IRS will never call to ask for personal <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">info<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> over the phone, and no government agency will ever ask you for money over the phone. Payments demanded in money orders, gift cards, and online payment platforms other than IRS.gov are an absolute red flag.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:4278190080,&quot;335559740&quot;:256}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Go straight to the source. Verify all websites and emails, even when it looks like they come from a trusted tax consultant or partner. Go straight to the source instead of clicking on links in emails or texts.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:4278190080,&quot;335559740&quot;:256}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Use online protection that sniffs out scams. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/en-us\/identity-theft\/family.html?path=blogs\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Features in our McAfee+ plans can help you spot scam sites and texts<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0and our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/learn\/web-protection?path=blogs\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Web Protection<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/learn\/online-account-cleanup\/\">Online Account Cleanup<\/a> <span class=\"TextRun SCXW166009594 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun AdvancedProofingIssueV2Themed SCXW166009594 BCX0\">in particular<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun AdvancedProofingIssueV2Themed SCXW166009594 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"normaltextrun\">alert<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW166009594 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"normaltextrun\"> you if a link might take you to <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW166009594 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"normaltextrun\">a sketchy<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW166009594 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"normaltextrun\"> site<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW166009594 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"normaltextrun\"> and help secure your<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW166009594 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"normaltextrun\"> online<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW166009594 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"normaltextrun\"> accounts<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW166009594 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"normaltextrun\">.<\/span> <span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW166009594 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"normaltextrun\">They<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW166009594 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"normaltextrun\">\u2019ll<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW166009594 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"normaltextrun\"> also block those sites if you accidentally tap or click on a bad link.<\/span> <\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW166009594 BCX0\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:4278190080,&quot;335559740&quot;:256}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"5\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Put preventative measures in place<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><\/b> <span data-contrast=\"none\">Check<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> your credit report for unusual activity, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/learn\/social-privacy-manager?path=blogs\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">keep your social media privacy settings tight<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/learn\/password-manager?path=blogs\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">set strong, unique passwords<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> on your accounts. Features in our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/en-us\/identity-theft\/family.html?path=blogs\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">McAfee+ plans<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> can help you do all of that, all in one place<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:4278190080,&quot;335559740&quot;:256}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"6\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Remove your personal <\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">info<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> from sketchy data broker sites.<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">Scams over email, phone, and text all require something\u2014your contact info. In many cases, scammers get it from data broker sites. Data brokers buy, collect, and sell detailed personal info, which they compile from several public and private sources. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/learn\/personal-data-cleanup\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Our Personal Data Cleanup<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> scans some of the riskiest data broker sites and shows you which ones are selling your personal info.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"7\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Lastly, file your taxes as quickly as possible. One way to keep a scammer from claiming your refund is to claim it first. In some cases, taxpayers only find out they\u2019ve been scammed once they file a return\u2014only to discover that it\u2019s already been filed.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335557856&quot;:4278190080,&quot;335559740&quot;:256}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As Tax Day looms and last-minute taxpayers feel the pressure, a surge of IRS scams is on the rise.\u00a0\u00a0 Research&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1407,"featured_media":211495,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10667,13],"tags":[],"coauthors":[15735],"class_list":["post-211447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-security-news","category-privacy-identity-protection"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Your Phone Is the #1 Target in a New Wave of IRS Scams, McAfee Finds | McAfee Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As Tax Day looms and last-minute taxpayers feel the pressure, a surge of IRS scams is on the rise.\u00a0\u00a0 Research by our McAfee Labs team projects a fresh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Your Phone Is the #1 Target in a New Wave of IRS Scams, McAfee Finds | McAfee Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As Tax Day looms and last-minute taxpayers feel the pressure, a surge of IRS scams is on the rise.\u00a0\u00a0 Research by our McAfee Labs team projects a fresh\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/your-phone-is-the-1-target-in-a-new-wave-of-irs-scams-mcafee-finds\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"McAfee Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/McAfee\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-01T07:00:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-30T00:47:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/pexels-ketut-subiyanto-4560134-copy.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"423\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jasdev Dhaliwal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@McAfee\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@McAfee\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jasdev Dhaliwal\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/your-phone-is-the-1-target-in-a-new-wave-of-irs-scams-mcafee-finds\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/your-phone-is-the-1-target-in-a-new-wave-of-irs-scams-mcafee-finds\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jasdev Dhaliwal\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#\/schema\/person\/49b8ff7075f52333a95710a8340c326f\"},\"headline\":\"Your Phone Is the #1 Target in a New Wave of IRS Scams, McAfee Finds\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-04-01T07:00:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-30T00:47:17+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/your-phone-is-the-1-target-in-a-new-wave-of-irs-scams-mcafee-finds\/\"},\"wordCount\":1331,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/privacy-identity-protection\/your-phone-is-the-1-target-in-a-new-wave-of-irs-scams-mcafee-finds\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/pexels-ketut-subiyanto-4560134-copy.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Security News\",\"Privacy &amp; 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