The Federal Trade Commission issued a consumer alert warning that text messages and emails promising tax refunds are being used as phishing lures to harvest personal and financial data. The agency urged recipients not to click links, not to provide sensitive information, and to report suspicious messages to authorities.

The Federal Trade Commission published a timely consumer alert warning that scammers are ramping up tax-refund themed phishing campaigns via text and email as filing season approaches. Messages purporting to confirm a tax refund or require immediate action frequently include malicious links that lead to credential‑harvesting forms or pages that request Social Security numbers, bank account details, or login credentials. The FTC advised consumers to avoid clicking links in unexpected messages, to verify communications via official agency channels, and to report suspicious contacts through government portals and their mobile carriers. The notice is part of a wider January wave of FTC guidance addressing impostor scams, refund fraud, and account takeover risks tied to tax-season activity. The agency emphasized preventive steps such as enabling multi-factor authentication, monitoring credit and bank statements closely, and contacting banks immediately if financial information is exposed. The advisory aims to reduce the success of phishing operations that exploit heightened consumer attention to refunds and filings.