As tax season peaks, taxpayers are facing threats on two fronts: scammers impersonating IRS representatives and dishonest tax preparers promising inflated refunds. Both schemes aim to steal personal information or money, and both tend to escalate during the height of the filing period.

According to Harry T. Chavis, Jr., the Special Agent in Charge of the IRS’ Criminal Investigation New York Field Office, the agency is seeing a surge in fraudulent outreach that appears to come from official sources. “What we see this time of year is an uptick in these IRS impersonation scams,” Chavis said. Scammers frequently use unexpected phone calls, texts, and emails to obtain sensitive data that can lead to identity theft, stolen refunds, and prolonged financial complications.

But impersonators aren’t the only concern. Many taxpayers are also being misled by tax preparers who misrepresent what they can deliver. Chavis said these individuals often lure clients by claiming they can secure unusually large refunds. “You always want a trustworthy preparer. They will put their name on the tax return as well as their prepared tax identification number,” he said. “If they're not willing to put that on the return, they're not willing to sign their return. That's a red flag.”

Chavis noted that both types of scams rely on pressure, confusion, or inflated promises. He urged taxpayers never to sign a blank return and to carefully review all documents. “You always want to make sure you review that return after it's been prepared line by line. Make sure you ask questions if there's something that seems out of the ordinary,” he said.

Unscrupulous preparers may falsely add credits or deductions or even invent side businesses to boost a refund. Meanwhile, impersonators often use language meant to create urgency. One such scam message warns that a matter must be resolved “during the active review period,” a tactic Chavis says is meant to provoke quick, uncritical compliance.

Whether dealing with someone pretending to be an IRS agent or a preparer pushing an unrealistic refund, Chavis said the same rule applies. “Usually if you ask yourself, this seems to be too good to be true. The best advice is to stay away from it,” he said.