NCDOR Advises Taxpayers About Fraudulent Text Messages Concerning State Tax Refunds

RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Revenue (NCDOR) advises North Carolina taxpayers to beware of a fraudulent text messaging scam related to state tax refunds.  

Some taxpayers have received unsolicited text messages that appear to be from the NCDOR. The fraudulent text messages include the following key points and prompts:   

• The messages mention a refund, but do not provide a tax year or refund amount, and prompt recipients to enter or confirm payment information through a link. 

• The messages also claim that failure to provide information could result in “permanent forfeiture” of the refund. 

The “permanent forfeiture” threat is a typical tactic used by criminals to cause fear and panic and to prompt you to act quickly without thinking or verifying information. If you receive a text about your tax refund that looks like it came from the NCDOR, please remember the following:   

• The NCDOR does not communicate about tax refunds via text message. 

• You should delete any text message about your refund and should not click any links in the message. 

• Remember: a link in a fraudulent text (or email) message is one of the many ways criminals steal identities and personal information. 

 Learn more about tax-related text scams at Watch Out For Tax-Related Text Message Scams | NCDOR.