The average tax scam victim loses $1,020 - and they're younger than you'd think

2026-03-05 · Source: News and Advice on the World's Latest Innovations | ZDNET · Field: Technology & Digital — Cybersecurity & Data Privacy, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning · Depth: Novice, medium

Summary

McAfee's 2026 Tax Season Survey reveals a significant increase in tax scams, with 82% of Americans concerned about tax fraud. The survey indicates that 40% of respondents believe scam messages are more sophisticated than last year, largely due to AI making them more realistic. Over 30% of those polled have been contacted by individuals impersonating tax authorities, and 23% have fallen victim to a tax scam, with the average loss being $1,020. This percentage rises to 42% for individuals aged 18-24. Between September 1, 2025, and February 19, 2026, McAfee identified 1,468 malicious or suspicious tax-themed domains, averaging 43 new fake tax websites daily, designed to steal credentials and payment details.

Key takeaway

For CTOs and VPs of Engineering assessing organizational cybersecurity posture during tax season, prioritize employee training on phishing and social engineering tactics. Your teams should implement robust email and web security solutions, such as McAfee WebAdvisor, to detect and block malicious tax-themed domains. Emphasize the importance of verifying all tax-related communications directly with official IRS.gov or state tax agency websites to mitigate financial and identity theft risks.

Key insights

AI-enhanced tax scams are increasingly sophisticated, leading to significant financial losses and identity theft for taxpayers.

Principles

• Verify tax communications directly with official sources.
• The IRS never demands payment via phone, email, or gift cards.

Method

Scammers initiate contact via phone, email, or text, often providing personal details to establish credibility, then direct victims to malicious websites to collect sensitive information or demand fraudulent payments under threat.

In practice

• Do not click links in unsolicited tax-related messages.
• Implement 2FA and unique passwords for sensitive accounts.

Topics

• Tax Scams
• AI-Enhanced Fraud
• Cybersecurity
• Identity Theft
• Online Security

Best for: CTO, VP of Engineering/Data, Executive, General Interest, IT Professional

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by News and Advice on the World's Latest Innovations | ZDNET.