I thought it was the IRS. The refund was a trick.

I was waiting for a tax refund and checking email often, so when a message said the IRS had money for me and I should claim it through a link, it felt timely—not suspicious.

The layout copied government wording and listed a refund amount that sounded plausible. I clicked, entered personal and bank details, and waited for a deposit that never came. Instead, alerts for new accounts started.

Tax-refund phishing steals credentials to file fake returns or drain accounts. Real agencies do not email or text "claim your refund" links. I lost time and money cleaning up identity theft.

Expecting money made the message feel relevant. I did not want to miss a deadline, so I clicked without typing the URL myself.

A phone agent on the official line read their policy aloud: they do not initiate refund claims by email. Hearing the rule from a human, not a blog, killed the last hope that the message had been real.

Stress and shame stacked while I froze accounts and filed affidavits. Reporting gave me a checklist when my brain wanted to shut down.

I only use tax sites I navigate myself from .gov addresses I bookmark. I wish I had paused at the first link.

• IRS and tax agencies do not email or text refund links—use official .gov sites.
• Report tax phishing to the IRS and FTC.

For more help, see our Report a scam page and Spot and avoid scams guide.