American taxpayers are being warned about a new text scam where IRS imposters are claiming individuals are eligible for $1,400 stimulus checks.
The Better Business Bureau said the text messages, which often appear authentic, are actually part of a phishing scheme designed to collect people's sensitive data and information.
RELATED STORY | 'Essentially, I just gifted a scammer $100': Gift card draining costing shoppers and retailers
"The message contains a fake link that mimics an official IRS website," the BBB said in a statement. "Clicking it may lead to malware or a fraudulent form asking for personal or financial information. The IRS does not contact taxpayers via text, email, or social media, and they will never request information this way."
In order to avoid falling victim to the scam, people have been advised to never click on any links in unsolicited messages and always be cautious of communications where the sender creates a sense of urgency to act quickly. The BBB also urges everyone to forward suspicious messages they get to phishing@irs.gov and report them to the BBB Scam Tracker located here.
RELATED STORY | Thousands of IRS employees may soon lose their jobs as part of Trump's cuts
The real IRS announced in December that it would be sending automatic $1,400 payments to one million taxpayers who did not claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2021 tax returns. That credit was in relation to the people who missed one of the COVID-19 stimulus payments or had received less than the full amount of those payments.
However, contrary to texting people, the IRS said those payments would be directly deposited into bank accounts or sent by mail in the form of a paper check.
