Tax scam season has already begun with an Inflation Refund text scam making the rounds that's specifically designed to target New Yorkers. That state issues an inflation refund to citizens and scammers have begun impersonating this program by sending out scam text messages in order to steal payment and personal information.
As reported by Cybernews , New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s office has already issued a warning about the scam which has been sent via text , email and physical mail to state residents.
The messages urge users to click a link to provide personal information so that their refund will be sent to them and includes typically urgent phishing style language: “Please provide accurate payment information by [deadline/date].” And “Failure to submit the required payment information by [date] will result in permanent forfeiture of this refund under New York Revised Statute 5747.11.” A quick Google search shows that there is no such statute.
Clicking on a link in these texts or emails takes victims to a website that mimics the legitimate NY Department of Tax and Finance site. There, targets are asked to submit their name, address, email address, phone number and Social Security number. This opens them up to identity theft and financial fraud.
The Inflation Refund is a real initiative from New York state that automatically issues refund checks to help offset inflation. However, eligible residents do not need to apply, sign up or provide any information to receive their payments. Instead, the checks are automatically sent to those who qualify. Though not every resident is eligible, those who are meet income thresholds, aren’t claimed as dependents by anyone else, and have filed a New York state tax return.
How to stay safe
The scammers in this campaign are counting on people not knowing the correct details on how to receive their refund as well as best practices when it comes to avoiding phishing attacks. To stay safe from smishing and phishing scams, never click on links from unknown senders, whether they're sent via email or text.
Also, follow the usual rules against phishing: be wary of any message that has a sense of urgency to it, uses a deadline or date to pressure you, or comes from an unknown source. Know which refunds apply to you, which websites to visit for legitimate information and Google or research any statutes or details mentioned in a text.
For an additional layer of protection, the best antivirus software often include features that can keep your mobile devices protected by flagging scam text messages. So you definitely want to make sure that you’ve checked out all your antivirus suite has to offer for additional security features and licenses. Likewise, the best identity theft protection can help you recover your identity as well as any funds lost to fraud after an incident like this one. Keep in mind though, you have to sign up for one of these services before something bad happens to fully take advantage of identity theft insurance and their other featuers.
Governor Hochul has been clear in her warnings that the Tax Department and IRS will not call or text anyone for their personal information. Her office recommends avoiding any websites that come through unexpected emails or texts, hanging up on tax related calls, and never agreeing to meet anyone in person to hand over tax payments.
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