The Minnesota Department of Revenue is reminding Minnesotans to be careful during tax season. Scammers often use this time of year to try to steal personal information, tax refunds and even identities. Below are a few common scams and what you can do to help protect your personal information from scammers.
SUSPICIOUS EMAILS
Some scammers send fake emails that look like they are from the IRS or the Minnesota Department of Revenue. This is called phishing. These emails may look official and may ask you to click a link, open an attachment or “update your information.”
If you receive a suspicious email, do not click any links, open attachments or reply to the message.
SUSPICIOUS TEXT MESSAGES
Scammers also send fake text messages pretending to be a government agency. These messages often try to scare people by claiming they must act quickly to avoid penalties, pay money or claim a refund.
The Minnesota Department of Revenue does not send unsolicited text messages. Any text from the department is informational only or sent as part of two-factor identification for e-Services. The department will never send a text asking you to click a link to make a payment or claim a refund, and it will never threaten to send law enforcement to your home.
If you receive a suspicious text message, do not click any links or reply.
SUSPICIOUS PHONE CALLS
Scammers may call and pretend to be from the IRS or the Minnesota Department of Revenue. They may demand payment, ask for personal information or threaten arrest.
The Minnesota Department of Revenue will never call to notify you about an unclaimed refund, demand immediate payment over the phone or threaten to arrest you. If you are unsure whether a call is legitimate, contact the Minnesota Department of Revenue directly at 651-296-3781 or 1-800-652-9094. Staff can help confirm whether the contact you received was real.
MORE INFORMATION
To learn more about tax refund fraud, signs of identity theft and what to do if you become a victim, visit the
Minnesota Department of Revenue's website.