Tax Day traps: Scams to watch before April 15

As the April 15 tax deadline nears, scammers ramp up efforts to steal money and personal information.

The IRS “Dirty Dozen” warns of common schemes, including phishing emails and texts posing as the IRS, AI-generated phone calls demanding payment and fake charities soliciting donations. Beware of “too good to be true” social media tax hacks promising bigger refunds, and ghost preparers who won’t sign returns. Identity theft scams also remain widespread, with criminals filing fraudulent returns using stolen data.

Remember, the IRS contacts taxpayers by mail first and never demands immediate payment or sensitive information via phone, text or email.

– Abby Watkins, 360 Media, Inc.