Tax Risk 7
Unexpected & fraudulent refund checks
Tax Risk 7
Unexpected & fraudulent refund checks
How it works
Criminals send a fake check, claim it was a mistake, then pressure you to "return" funds quickly. They might also send a repayment demand that looks official and push you to pay immediately via a link or phone number. The goal is to get you to act before you verify.
If you fall for the scam, they might use the ruse as a hook to capture your banking details and request further personal information which will be used to put your personal finances at risk.
Red flags to watch for
- A check you weren't expecting
- Instructions to send money back urgently
- Links or QR codes to "confirm" or "resolve"
- Caller ID that appears to be a government agency
How to prevent an attack
- Assume it's a trap until proven otherwise; don't deposit or forward anything based on outreach
- Verify details through your trusted path; call your accountant and check official IRS channels you initiate any transaction
- Save envelopes, screenshots, and voicemails to document everything in case you need to report it
How BlackCloak can help
BlackCloak is built for exactly this kind of high-pressure, high-consequence moment. If you receive an unexpected refund check or a repayment demand, you can bring it to our Concierge Team for a fast assessment and clear next steps.
BlackCloak also helps reduce the exposure criminals use to personalize these scams by removing your data from broker sites, suppressing your information available via search engines such as Google, and monitoring for breached credentials. If a message leads to account compromise or device risk, our incident response support is available 24/7 to contain it.
