FBI warns scammers are using AI voices to impersonate US officials
The FBI is warning of AI voice scams using new voice cloning tools to impersonate U.S. officials as the $5.4 billion tech market booms.
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- Garrett Watson, director of policy analysis at the Tax Foundation, warned consumers that duty refunds may not become a reality for consumers as there is not much political momentum.
- Scammers send fake paper checks, but then charge a fee. Your check bounces and you’re out of cash.
Thanks to artificial intelligence, the calls you receive may sound even more like an IRS agent. And the text you just received about the so-called “duty refund” may seem genuine. Because, frankly, who would argue about free money when pump prices are soaring over $4 a gallon?
Still, take a step back, breathe, and remember that scammers are active during tax season. Robocalls sound real because more and more scammers are using computer-generated tactics and fake caller IDs to make it seem like the Internal Revenue Service is on the line.
And the fake texts are, let’s be honest, endless.
Scammers, like the Law & Order writers back in the day, know how to spin stories ripped from the headlines. And taxes and duties are in the headlines.
When will I receive my duty refund check?
Currently, no companies are sending customs duty refund checks to consumers. And it is very likely that the individual will never see them. But we’re hearing about proposed tariff-related relief.
The “tariff rebates” of $600 for individuals, $1,200 for married couples filing jointly and an additional $600 for each eligible dependent are part of a bill introduced in March by New Mexico Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich called the “Tariff Refunds for Working Families Act.”
This rebate is not available to high-income households or households with adjusted gross income of more than $180,000 on a joint return. $120,000 for heads of households and $90,000 for single taxpayers.
In February, a divided U.S. Supreme Court ruled against President Donald Trump’s use of a 1977 law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to unilaterally impose tariffs on imports from a wide range of countries.
Garrett Watson, director of policy analysis at the Tax Foundation, warned consumers that these refunds may not materialize as there is not much political momentum “given the country’s fiscal situation and the legal instability of the underlying tariff system.”
That hasn’t stopped scammers from sending text messages and emails with promises of so-called “duty refunds” or “duty dividends,” warned Teresa Murray, director of consumer watchdog for nonprofit advocacy group US PIRG.
Murray pointed out that duty refund fraud can be carried out in a variety of ways. First, when you respond to a text, email, or phone call, you may be asked to enter your address to send your duty refund check.
Good tip: The federal government is moving away from issuing paper checks. So why do they need your address again? The U.S. Treasury will not directly message you or send you a text message or email about your duty refund check.
Once the scammer mails you a check, you deposit it. The scammer will then ask you to send cash as a “fee.” Really? Transferring money means losing cash from your own pocket. So-called “tariff” checks will be dishonored and you will not be able to get your money back from them.
Alternatively, you may receive a message saying you need to click here to apply for a customs duty refund. You may be redirected to a fake website where you hand over your personal and bank account information for direct deposit purposes. And criminals may have access to your bank accounts.
Murray warns that the promise of a large duty refund check often begins with a claim that you will need to pay some upfront fee to have your claim processed.
Some of these scams use the terms “government inflation checks” or “relief checks.” Similarly, this is a fake promise of $2,000 or more that you’ll never see, and it’s a way for scammers to steal your bank account information and cash.
Scammers often urge you to act quickly to avoid missing out on rebate cash or dividends. Best bet: Do more research. Don’t deposit suspicious checks. Please do not send cash back. Do not pay cash upfront for so-called processing fees.
As U.S. tariffs skyrocketed last summer and fall, scammers blamed tariffs on delays on products consumers purchased online. Consumers have seen attractive products and product prices advertised on Instagram, Facebook and other social media sites, the Better Business Bureau warns. However, they ended up being redirected to a fake website that clearly looked legitimate.
The orders never arrived, and when consumers received responses to their complaints, the scammers blamed “Trump tariffs.” They may claim that the item was stuck somewhere in customs or on a cargo ship. Scammers often demanded even more money in “duties” after the purchase was delayed.
What are the hot tax scams in 2026?
The Internal Revenue Service is reminding taxpayers that scammers have no problem impersonating the IRS via email, text message, or direct message. The IRS discovered approximately 600 tax-related social media impersonators in fiscal year 2025 alone.
According to the IRS, scammers often use alarmist language or QR codes to direct taxpayers to fake IRS websites to “verify” their accounts, enter personal information, or request refunds.
“The IRS urges taxpayers not to click on links or open attachments in unexpected messages, and to report suspicious IRS-related emails, direct mail, and text messages,” according to the IRS alert.
Never click on unsolicited communications that claim to be from the IRS. If you do so, the IRS warns, ransomware or other malware software may be installed on your personal device, preventing you from accessing your files and personal information.
Remember, scammers are much more convincing than they were five years ago, thanks to artificial intelligence tools and a long list of hacking incidents that have already exposed personal data. Telephone scams continue to evolve and appear to be becoming more believable.
The IRS says the agency “generally contacts taxpayers first by mail and does not leave urgent or threatening prerecorded messages, make phone calls demanding immediate payment, or threaten arrest.”
Taxpayers, beware. Scammers know our stories and try to steal our cash by targeting what we want to hear or what we fear.
Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompol: stompor@freepress.com. follow himr X @tompor.
