Florida Attorney General warns Floridians that scammers are targeting taxpayers and their refunds
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Tax season is upon us, and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody continues to warn Floridians that scammers will use all kinds of tactics to steal their money.
Moody continues her 2023 Tax-Season Scams Series by warning Floridians about Tax Refund Recalculation Schemes.
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Scammers know that millions of taxpayers are hoping for large refunds and may anticipate and prey upon these expectations with fraudulent refund recalculation messages.
“You should always be skeptical anytime someone offers you free money—especially through a text or social media message. This is a common tactic during tax season as scammers utilize the excitement of receiving money back from the IRS to steal sensitive banking or identification information from taxpayers,” Moody said. “As we continue our Tax-Season Scams Series, I want to make sure Floridians know how to avoid falling prey to this scam.”
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Moody is providing tips for taxpayers to help spot the difference between legitimate refund messages and fraudulent ones.
Below is an example of a fraudulent tax refund recalculation message. Here are some key things to look for to spot a fake message:
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The messages will usually be riddled with links and attachments that may contain malware or phishing schemes.
Unsolicited messages promising a tax refund recalculation should be reported to the Internal Revenue Service at phishing@irs.gov.
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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.
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