NY Dept of Revenue Text | Is it Scam or Real

If you received a text message claiming to be from the New York Department of Revenue (or NYS Department of Taxation and Finance), be extremely cautious — especially if it includes links, asks for personal info, or says you owe money or are getting a refund.

This kind of text message is often a phishing scam.

🔍 What to watch out for in fake NY Department of Revenue texts:

Scam text examples:

“New York Dept of Revenue: You have an outstanding tax balance. Pay now to avoid penalties: [suspicious link]”
“Your NY State tax refund is ready. Confirm your info: [link]”
“Urgent: NY Tax Dept needs updated bank info for direct deposit.”

Red flags:

• It includes a suspicious or shortened link (bit.ly, tinyurl, etc.).

• It demands immediate action or payment.

• It says “click here” to confirm identity, get a refund, or avoid arrest.

• Poor grammar, typos, or generic language (“Dear taxpayer”).

• It comes from a random phone number or email address.

✅ What the real NYS Department of Taxation and Finance does:

• They do not text links asking for personal or payment info.

• Official tax communications are usually via postal mail.

• In rare cases, they may send a text or email only if you signed up for that via your Online Services account — and even then, they never ask for sensitive info through text.

Also Read : How To Get Amazon Settlement Money

📌 What to do if you got a suspicious NY revenue text:

1. Don’t click any links.

2. Don’t reply or provide any info.

3. Report the scam:

   • Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM) to report it to your carrier.

   • Report phishing attempts to NYS Tax Department here:
     🔗 https://www.tax.ny.gov/help/contact/email-dept.htm (choose “Report phishing or fraud”)

   • Report to the FTC: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov

4. Delete the message after reporting it.

🛡️ If you clicked the link or entered info:

• Immediately change any passwords you may have entered.

• Enable two-factor authentication on your online tax and bank accounts.

• Contact your bank if you entered payment info.

• Watch for identity theft — consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze with the credit bureaus:

  • Equifax: 800-525-6285

  • Experian: 888-397-3742

  • TransUnion: 800-680-7289