Division of Revenue warns of tax refund text scams

The Delaware Department of Finance and Division of Revenue are warning residents about a recent surge in fraudulent text messages claiming to come from the Division of Revenue. These scam messages state that a taxpayer’s refund “has been processed and approved,” and demand that recipients provide “valid payment information” by a specific deadline. The message also falsely states that the refund will be forfeited if no response is received.

Officials urge people who receive such texts to refrain from clicking on any links and not to respond to these messages. The Delaware Division of Revenue does not send text messages requesting personal or financial information, and there is no such thing as automatic forfeiture of a tax refund due to lack of response.

Anyone unsure about the status of a refund or tax account may contact the Division of Revenue public service directly at 302-577-8200.

Scammers often use fear and urgency to manipulate victims into taking immediate action. They may also use publicly available information such as an individual’s name or phone number to make the messages appear more legitimate.

The Division of Revenue offers the following tips for protection from scams:

Don’t rush. Scammers create a false sense of urgency. Take time to review any unexpected communications carefully.

Verify the source. Never trust contact information provided in a suspicious message. Instead, visit tax.delaware.gov and log into a password-restricted portal account or call the official hotline to verify if a legitimate notice was issued.

Watch for red flags. Be cautious of messages lacking details about a specific tax account or those that don’t include a return mailing address. Official notices will always contain verifiable contact and account information.

Protect identifying information: Never share personal or financial details in response to unsolicited messages. Only provide information through verified and secure channels.