In its annual Dirty Dozen list of evolving scams, the IRS reminded tax professionals to stay alert of phishing, smishing and spear phishing campaigns.
"Scammers are relentless, and they use the guise of tax season to try tricking taxpayers into falling into a variety of traps,” Terry Lemons, IRS communications senior adviser, said in a news release. “These red flags can lead to everything from identity theft to being misled into claiming tax credits for which they're not entitled.”
Started in 2002, the annual Dirty Dozen campaign is designed to raise awareness and protect taxpayers and tax pros from common frauds.
The 2025 list includes some older scams — phishing has appeared since at least 2010, while smishing first appeared on the 2023 list.