Staying Safe During Tax Season: Protect Yourself from Email Scams and Phishing Attempts

By Amy Betts, Chief Compliance Officer

Tax season is a busy time, not just for taxpayers and financial professionals, but unfortunately for cybercriminals as well. Each year, we see a rise in fraudulent emails designed to look like communications from the IRS, tax software companies, custodians, or financial institutions.

To help keep your personal and financial information secure, we’ve put together a quick guide on what to watch for and how to protect yourself.

Common Signs of Tax‑Season Email Scams:

Messages That Create Urgency

Scammers often try to pressure you into acting quickly. Watch for subject lines such as:

• “Your tax refund is delayed—take action now”
• “Urgent: account verification required”
• “Your filing has been flagged”

Remember: The IRS does not initiate contact via email about refunds, payments, or account issues.

Email Addresses That Don’t Look Quite Right

Fraudulent emails may come from addresses attempting to mimic legitimate organizations. Warning signs include:

• Extra words or characters
• Misspellings
• Unusual domain endings

If something feels off, it probably is.

Unexpected Attachments or Links

Tax‑related phishing emails often include attachments labeled as:

• “W‑2”
• “Statement of Account”
• “Tax Transcript”
• “Refund Notice”

These may contain malware or link to fake websites designed to steal information.

When in doubt—don’t click.

Generic Greetings or Poor Formatting

Professional organizations typically address you by name. Scams often include:

• “Dear Customer”
• “Dear Taxpayer”
• Misspellings or awkward grammar
• Strange fonts or inconsistent formatting

If the message doesn’t look polished or personal, treat it with caution.

Requests for Sensitive Information

Legitimate institutions will never ask for sensitive personal information via email, including:

• Social Security number
• Account or routing numbers
• Passwords or PINs
• Verification codes

Any email doing so is a red flag.

How You Can Stay Protected

If you receive a suspicious email:

• Do not click links or open attachments.
• Do not reply or provide any information.
• Delete the message.
• Report IRS‑related scams by forwarding the email to: phishing@irs.gov
• Contact our team if the email references your accounts or appears to come from our firm or your custodian (Fidelity, Schwab and/or Raymond James).  We are happy to confirm whether it is legitimate.

Your awareness is one of the strongest defenses against identity theft and financial fraud.

We’re Here to Support You

If you ever have questions about a message you receive, especially during tax season, please reach out. We’re always available to help verify communications and ensure you stay protected.

Thank you for your continued trust.