Taxpayers should be aware of gift card scams and take steps to protect themselves. Scammers may target taxpayers by asking them to pay a fake tax bill with gift cards. People should remember that the IRS never asks for or accepts gift cards as payment for a tax bill.

The IRS doesn't initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media channels to request personal or financial information. To verify it’s the IRS, go to IRS.gov and verify the form or visit the Let Us Help You page to verify tax information with self-service options.

Common schemes

Scammers are always changing their tactics. Recently, the IRS has seen scammers:

Who’s calling

Here's how taxpayers can tell it's really the IRS calling. The IRS will never:

Identity theft actions

Any taxpayer who suspects they’ve been the victim of a scammer should:

More information: