IRS Warns Taxpayers of Return Scams in Security Summit Wrap-Up

Lead The Internal Revenue Service and its Security Summit partners today concluded a five-week campaign warning that emerging scams could compromise tax returns and delay refunds.

Nut Graf The “Protect Your Clients; Protect Yourself” series provided tax professionals-and by extension individual filers-with actionable advice on detecting phishing schemes, safeguarding sensitive data and avoiding misinformation that can lead to inaccurate returns and penalties.

Key Highlights

  • New scam vectors: Phone, text and correspondence schemes targeting EFINs, PTINs and CAF numbers
  • Phishing alerts: Spear and clone phishing tactics, red-flag indicators and reporting methods
  • Data-security requirements: Importance of a Written Information Security Plan (WISP) and IRS Publication 5708 guidance
  • Identity-theft protections: Adoption of IRS Identity Protection PINs and multi-factor authentication

Detailed Developments Tax-return accuracy under threat The IRS emphasized a recent surge in social media misinformation promoting improper use of credits such as the Fuel Tax Credit and Sick and Family Leave Credit. Taxpayers following such posts risk filing erroneous returns, triggering refund denials or penalties.

Professional and individual responsibilities While the summit focused on preparers, individual filers share in the responsibility to verify information through official IRS channels. The agency reiterated that using credible sources and staying current via IRS-verified social media and e-news subscriptions is crucial.

Ongoing support tools Taxpayers and professionals are encouraged to utilize:

  • IRS Online Account for secure notices and filing status updates
  • Identity Theft Central for resources on preventing and responding to fraud
  • Data Theft Information portals tailored for tax practitioners

Outlook As the tax-return season approaches next spring, the IRS plans further outreach to reinforce data-security best practices, modernize communication channels and reduce taxpayer vulnerability to evolving schemes.