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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →If an unexpected call, text, email, or social-media message promises you a government payment and asks you to click a link, share personal or bank details, or pay a fee, stop. Do not reply or use the contact information in the message. Check the claim through an official government channel you find independently. A convincing agency name, caller ID, or personal detail does not prove the contact is real.
How government-payment scams work
Scammers may pose as the IRS, Social Security Administration, Medicare, or another government office. They may claim you need to act immediately to receive a payment, keep a benefit, fix an account, or avoid a penalty. The approach can arrive by phone, email, text, or social media.
A message may look official or include your name, address, or other identifying details. Caller ID can also be faked. None of these details authenticates the sender. The FTC’s government-impersonation guidance recommends verifying through contact information you find independently.
Warning signs to notice
- Pressure or threats: The sender insists you must act immediately, lose a payment, or face a penalty.
- A request for sensitive information: The message asks for your Social Security number, bank or credit-card details, Medicare information, or other personal data.
- A demand for payment: The contact asks you to pay to receive a benefit or resolve an alleged problem, especially by gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or payment app.
- A link to claim or release money: The message asks you to enter personal or financial information at a linked site.
The FTC says government agencies will not contact people by call, email, text, or social media to demand money or personal information. That warning concerns demands for money or information; it does not mean every unsolicited government communication is fraudulent.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsWhat to do when a message promises money
- Pause. Do not let a deadline or threat rush you into acting. For an unexpected robocall, do not press numbers in response.
- Do not pay or disclose information. Do not send money or provide sensitive details in response to the contact. Treat requests for gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or payment apps as strong scam signs.
- Do not click links or open attachments. Do not use a link or phone number in the unexpected message to check whether a payment is real.
- Verify independently. Find the agency’s official website or contact details yourself, or start at USA.gov. Use that independently found channel to check the claim.
- Keep useful details, then report. Record information needed to report the contact, such as the sender, claimed agency, and message content. Avoid forwarding or interacting with the suspicious link. Report the impersonation at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
How to check tax-refund and benefit claims safely
For a tax-refund message, the FTC’s January 2026 alert says not to respond or click the link. Check refund information through USA.gov instead. The alert describes fake refund texts and emails as phishing attempts that can put refund information or identity at risk: FTC tax-refund scam alert.
For other benefits, use the relevant agency’s official website or contact channel that you locate independently. Do not assume a payment is available or that you qualify just because a message says so; confirm the program and any eligibility details through the agency.
The FTC documented fake IRS messages offering help with a third Economic Impact Payment in October 2021. That is a historical example of a link-based scam, not evidence that an Economic Impact Payment is currently open or that any particular person qualifies: FTC’s 2021 Economic Impact Payment scam alert.
What to do if you shared information
If you gave personal information to someone impersonating a government agency, use IdentityTheft.gov for identity-theft recovery steps. The FTC also recommends reporting the impersonation at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. For impersonation involving the IRS, the FTC points to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA); for Social Security impersonation, it points to the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General. Start with the FTC’s agency-specific reporting guidance.
A report helps notify the appropriate authorities, but it is not a guarantee that lost money will be recovered.
Quick check: suspicious contact or safe verification?
| Check | Risky approach | Safer approach |
|---|---|---|
| Who started the contact? | An unexpected caller, text, email, or social-media message promises money or threatens a consequence. | You initiate contact with the agency using details found independently. |
| How do you verify? | You call a number or follow a link supplied in the message, or trust caller ID. | You locate the agency’s official channel yourself and check there. |
| What information is requested? | The contact asks for sensitive identity or financial details to release a payment or fix an account. | You do not disclose information in response to an unsolicited request; you ask the agency through its independently found channel. |
| How are you asked to pay? | The contact demands gift cards, a wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or payment through an app. | You do not pay to satisfy an unexpected demand claiming to come from a government agency. |
What the FTC says about government impersonation
“Government agencies will never call, email, text, or message you on social media to ask for money or personal information.”
— Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice, How To Avoid a Government Impersonation Scam (page dated November 2023).
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