Avoid clicking on links in text messages that promise to send you a $1,400 check from the IRS. According to the Better Business Bureau, it is a hoax. Criminals are posing as the IRS in an attempt to fool taxpayers into giving them their personal information. The SMS will look as though it was sent by the IRS, stating that you are qualified to receive a $1,400 Economic Impact Payment and that you must submit your details to get it.
Based on recent news from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the SMS message that has been reaching millions of taxpayers in the country is a phishing hoax. A phony link that imitates an official IRS website is included in the message. When you click on it, spyware or a bogus form requesting money or personal information may appear. The BBB stated in a statement that the Internal Revenue Service never contacts taxpayers by text, email, or social media and will never ask for information in this manner.
Since the deceptive texts are based on recent tax agency news, they do seem to be true. To compensate those who did not get all of their government stimulus checks during the pandemic, the IRS announced in late December that it would be delivering a total of $2.4 billion to one million people. These payments were made automatically to qualified taxpayers who filed a return but did not claim the Recovery Rebate Credit, up to a maximum of $1,400 per beneficiary. Here is what officials advise doing to stay away from this scam:
You receive a text from what appears to be the Internal Revenue Service saying that you qualify for a $1,400 Economic Impact Payment and that you need to send your details so that the funds can be mailed to you as a check or put into your bank account in one to two business days. There is a phony link in the phishing scheme that looks like an authentic IRS website. Malware or a fake form requesting money or personal information could result from clicking on it. The Internal Revenue Service does not contact taxpayers via text, email, or social media, so be advised that it would never ask for information in this manner. 
The Internal Revenue Service is one institution that is being severely impacted by the administration’s ongoing, harsh cuts to the federal government. With the deadline for paying taxes approaching, Reuters and the New York Times have reported that over 6,000 staff would be let off. The most recent federal agency to see significant budget cuts is the IRS. Other organizations include the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the National Park Service, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
According to several accountants, taxpayers who want help or want quick return checks could suffer greatly from a staffing shortage during tax season. The National Taxpayer Advocate, an independent IRS agency, claims that the IRS already has too few personnel and struggles to hire and retain staff. Tax season will undoubtedly be impacted by mass firings since cuts would be seen immediately, Richard Pon, a San Francisco-certified public accountant, told USA TODAY on Wednesday.
© 2025 – La Grada
© 2025 – La Grada

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