Don’t fall for fake tax refund texts from scammers in NJ

🚨A new scam text purports to come from the state Division of Taxation

🚨The agency says they don't initiate text communications

🚨Similar fake texts have purported to come from E-ZPass and the MVC

There is a new "smishing" text scam purported to be coming from a state agency.

Following reports of fake texts falsely claiming to be from the MVC and E-ZPass, the latest scam text claims to be from the New Jersey Department of the Treasury’s Division of Taxation.

The message falsely claims that a refund request was processed and approved.

The fraud text states that if the required payment information is not submitted by a certain date, the refund will be permanently forfeited under "New Jersey Statues Title 54A," which is the New Jersey Gross Income Tax Act.

New Jersey tax refund scam texts

The Division of Taxation says text messages are sent only in certain circumstances if requested by people using their phone system.

The agency advises people not to click the links in these types of texts or to share personal information via text.

The state Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell says the link likely takes the user to a page that will display branding from the Division of Taxation and request financial account details.

Replying with a "Y" is meant to get around cell phone security features.

Don't fall for this tax refund text scam

Recommendations from the Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell include.

📳 Identify red flags, such as unexpected requests for personal information, suspicious links, or urgent requests to take action.

📳 Forward the scam text message to your carrier's spam reporting service (often 7726).

📳 Report these types of scams to the NJCCIC, IC3, and FTC.

📳 Block the sender's number to prevent further unwanted messages.

📳 If you are unsure about the authenticity of a text message, contact the organization or individual mentioned in the message directly using their official phone number to verify the information and request.

📳 Be cautious of spoofed numbers, as scammers can disguise their phone numbers to appear as a trusted source.

📳 Share information about SMS scams to help others stay safe.
Review the SMiShing at Scale: A Deep Dive into Toll Violation Text Scams NJCCIC post for further information on these types of schemes.

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