Fake tax refund texts

A text says you’re owed a tax refund and asks you to confirm your bank login. Tax offices don’t ask for banking credentials by text.

What it looks like

SMS · Tax office

You are owed a refund of $412.80. Confirm your bank login to receive it today.

How it usually ends

Tax offices don't ask for bank logins. Your account was emptied overnight.

Red flags

Government sender spoofed
Asks for bank credentials
Lookalike domain

A real case

In 2025 the FTC halted American Tax Service, which allegedly impersonated the IRS to sell tax-debt relief that never came.

What to do

Go to the tax authority’s website yourself.
Never enter bank logins via a link in a message.
Report the text and delete it.

Could you spot it in the moment?

In Painted Sky you’re born at random somewhere on Earth and live a whole life — and this scam is one of the fakes that can find you. Make the call yourself, then replay the same life with a lens that shows what was fake.

Play Painted Sky — free →