Tuesday, April 15 is the 2025 tax deadline, and scammers are looking for new targets by posing as reputable services that can help people through the process.
One of the most popular of these is TurboTax, a service run by Intuit that provides tax support for over 100 million people each year.
Why It Matters
Millions of Americans are at risk of being scammed at this time of year because of the tax deadline, creating demand for external help with finances. The scams are designed to prey on the urgency people feel, which could result in thousands of dollars being stolen from people who fall for the scams.
What To Know
The TurboTax scam involves criminals posing as officials from the service, offering to help people with completing their tax returns.
They then use this opportunity to extort personal information from the victim, such as a Social Security number, which can then be used to access accounts and steal money.
Steve Weisman, cybersecurity expert and editor of the Scamicide newsletter, told Newsweek that scammers have developed ways of making phone calls appear as if they were coming from legitimate sources.
“Whenever you receive a phone call, text message or email requesting personal information, you can never be sure who is actually contacting you,” Weisman said. “Your Caller ID can be manipulated by a simple technique called ‘spoofing’ to make it appear as if the call is coming from TurboTax, and spoofing can also be used to make a text message appear to come from them as well. Sophisticated scammers can also use email addresses that appear to be that of TurboTax.”
How to Avoid the Turbo Tax Scam
Scammers take advantage of trust and unawareness, meaning the best way to counter them is making sure you know their tricks.
“The best way to protect yourself from this scam is to follow my rule: ‘trust me, you can’t trust anyone,'” Weisman told Newsweek. “Since the scam is generally based on a representation that your tax return was denied by the IRS, it is important to note that TurboTax will not contact you if your return was rejected unless you have specifically requested a call.”
If you aren’t sure about any communications with people claiming to be from Turbo Tax, customers are able confirm it with a call to the customer support number of 800-446-8848. You can also go to TurboTax’s support page for live chat with their specialists.
Weisman recommended that communicating with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) could also prevent any future scams.
“Anyone can get scammed and your Social Security number can be obtained by identity thieves in a multitude of ways including data breaches, so it is prudent to get a PIN each year from the IRS to include when you file your income tax return,” he said. “That way, even if someone has your Social Security number, they won’t be able to file a tax return in your name with your Social Security number that would be accepted.”
What People Are Saying
In a guidance statement on their website, TurboTax provider Intuit said: “For scam artists, tax season brings with it limitless opportunities to prey on the innocent and rob them of their hard-earned money. Scam artists are experienced in a variety of schemes that earn them millions of dollars every year. They take advantage of the trusting nature of people who are too baffled by the tax code to realize when they are being swindled.”
It added: “If you know what to look for—simple signs that betray the scam artist’s deception—you can survive tax season unscathed.”
What Happens Next?
The tax deadline is April 15, however some states may issue deadline extensions depending on circumstances.
Stock Image: A woman is seen preparing her 2024 income tax return in Valence, France, on April 9. Stock Image: A woman is seen preparing her 2024 income tax return in Valence, France, on April 9. Getty Images
