IRS Warns Taxpayers Against Child Tax Credit Scammers

The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division is warning taxpayers about scams related to the Child Tax Credit.

Millions of families received Child Tax Credits from the IRS last week — and scammers are taking advantage of the situation.

Taxpayers should be on the lookout for any communication offering assistance to sign up for the Child Tax Credit or to speed up the monthly payments — these are likely messages from scammers.

Here are some ways to identify if it is truly the IRS reaching out.

1. The IRS will never reach out via email, text message, or social media.
2. They will not leave pre-recorded, urgent, or threatening messages. Aggressive calls warning taxpayers about a lawsuit or arrest are fake.
3. The IRS will not call taxpayers asking them to provide or verify financial information so they can obtain the monthly Child Tax Credit payments. Taxpayers who are eligible for advance payment of the Child Tax Credit will be automatically enrolled.
4. The IRS will not ask for payment via a gift card, wire transfer or cryptocurrency.

Any suspicious IRS phishing and scams can be reported to irs.gov.