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IRS refund email scam: is that refund notice real?

Editorially reviewed · Last updated September 8, 2026

Yes — this is a scam. The IRS says it does not email without your permission. An unsolicited refund message using a look-alike domain is a scam warning.

Exhibit · Email

Action required: your $1,284.50 federal refund is pending
I
Internal Revenue Service
refunds@irs-gov-tax[.]example
8:02 AM
Our records show you are eligible for a tax refund of $1,284.50. To receive your payment, verify your information within 24 hours or your refund will be cancelled: irs-refund-verify[.]example/claim
Claim my refund
Illustrative email · not an original screenshot

Other versions you might get: A fake “tax transcript” or “stimulus payment” email, a text or call claiming you owe back taxes, or a notice threatening arrest unless you pay with gift cards.

What to do right now

  1. Don't click the link or button, and don't call any number in it. Don't enter your Social Security number, bank, or login.
  2. Check independently. Type irs.gov yourself and use its refund-status or account tools. A suspicious email cannot tell you whether a genuine refund is due.
  3. Report it. Forward the email to phishing@irs.gov, then file at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
  4. Delete it and mark it as phishing.
  5. If you already tapped or shared details: change any password you entered, call your bank if you gave card or account info, and place a free fraud alert with the credit bureaus. If you shared your SSN, see the recovery steps below.

Reduce the risk of another scam

Do not use the message’s link to check the claim. Open the real service yourself. If you paid or shared account details, start with what to do after a scam. Blocking and reporting can reduce unwanted contact, but they cannot stop every attempt or tell you how the sender found you.

● Public service · free steps first

Take the free protection steps first

A suspicious message does not tell us how someone found your details. If you shared personal information, start with the official recovery guidance. You can also freeze your credit for free.

Decide what protection you need

Start with the free controls above. Compare what a paid service would add only after deciding which problem remains.

Compare free and paid protection →

No purchase needed. How we use evidence.

Frequently asked

Does the IRS ever email you about a refund?
The IRS says it does not email without your permission. An unexpected refund message asking for sensitive details should be treated as suspicious. Open irs.gov independently and use its refund tools or official contact routes; do not use the message to decide whether a refund exists.
How do I report a fake IRS email?
The IRS wants the message itself, not a description of it. Its steps: “Don't reply, click links or open attachments,” then send the email to phishing@irs.gov with “IRS” in the subject line. Send it as an attachment (or include the email header) rather than a plain forward — the IRS notes that simply forwarding “strips important data to identify and stop the scammer.” Then report it to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), delete the email, and — if you want it on the fraud record too — file at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
I clicked the link and entered my Social Security number — what now?
Use IdentityTheft.gov and the IRS’s identity-theft guidance. Consider obtaining an IRS Identity Protection PIN, which helps stop fraudulent returns using your identity. If you received an IRS letter, follow its instructions. File Form 14039 only when the IRS guidance for your situation calls for it; exposure alone does not mean every victim should file that form. Secure exposed passwords and payment accounts too.

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Sources

  1. 01Report fake IRS, Treasury or tax-related emails and messages— Internal Revenue Service
  2. 02If you were scammed— Internal Revenue Service
  3. 03Official security and fraud guidance— irs.gov

Pass it on

Help protect someone else

If this could have fooled you, it can fool someone you know — a parent, a friend, the family group chat. It's safe to forward, and stands on its own as a record for a bank or the police.