Illinois Tax Season 2025: Rockford BBB Warns Of These Tax Scams

I remember very clearly something my dad said to me many years ago as he covered our entire dining room table (with extra leaves added in) with all the materials he would need to do our family's taxes that weekend:

"Once you become a grown-up, it's going to seem like it's time to pay your taxes about every three months."

And, he's right. It feels like it was just a few months ago that my wife and I were grabbing up, searching to find, and otherwise cursing at, all of our tax materials.

Now, it's time to do it all over again as the 2025 tax season in Illinois officially began on Monday, January 27th...so things are now in full swing.

The Rockford Regional Office Of The Better Business Bureau (BBB) Is Doing Their Best To Alert All Of Us To The Schemes And Scams That Con Artists Will Be Using Right Up To The Tax Deadline Day Of April 15th

You don't have to have ever been scammed to know that scammers are looking to get at your money, personal identity information, and anything else they can trick you out of while they're at it, but just how big of a problem are tax scams?

Dennis Horton, director of the Rockford Regional Office of the Better Business Bureau (BBB):

Regardless of how you choose to have your taxes prepared, you could encounter a scam attempt. As the 2025 tax season opens on Monday, January 27th, tax scammers come out of the woodwork. They often start with fear, utilizing imposter phone calls, texts, emails, and phony letters playing on their target’s emotions.

According To Both The BBB And The IRS, There Are Several Ways You Could Find Yourself The Victim Of A Tax Scam This Year

Telling you to beware of tax scams isn't particularly helpful if you don't know what to look for, so let's run down some of the top ways scammers are victimizing people during tax season:

Tax Identity Theft: Is when a scammer uses your Social Security number to file a tax return in your name and collect your refund. Scammers steal your tax information in several ways. It could be a phony tax preparation service, a data breach, a hack, or a phishing scam, where you are tricked into clicking on a link in a text message that downloads malware to your device. Most people don't even realize they've been scammed until they file their taxes, or later.

Email Phishing Scams:  These phony emails look like they're from the IRS and include a link to a bogus website intended to mirror the official IRS website. These fraudulent emails direct you to update your IRS e-file immediately, or there is a problem with your taxes and sometimes mention USA.gov or a variation of the real IRS site. Scammers want you to call the fake number in the email or click on a link to steal money and ID information.

But Wait, There's More...

IRS Impersonation Scams: This scam often starts with a phone call and can take two basic forms. In the first version, the IRS “agent” says you owe back taxes and pressures you into paying by prepaid debit card or wire transfer. The scammer threatens you with arrest and fines if you don’t comply. Scammers can also claim they are issuing tax refunds and need your information. The scammer might even give a fake badge number and name or use a spoofed Caller ID, looking like it’s coming from an official agency.

"Ghost" Shady Tax Preparers: These scammers set up shop around tax time, usually in a vacant storefront. They will often promise tax filers fast or large refunds. These “ghost” tax preparers can be individuals who bypass checks and balances in the tax preparer certification system. You might lose your refund and pay high fees, and if something goes wrong with your return, they are nowhere to be found.