With less than a month to go before Tax Day on April 15, Durham-area taxpayers are staring down a fresh wave of refund scams that aim to steal bank accounts and identities. The pitches are landing as texts, emails and phone calls that either dangle the promise of big money or bark out urgent threats. Some schemes now lean on AI-generated voices and spoofed caller ID to sound official. Local consumer advocates say the simplest defense is to slow down, verify everything and never hand over personal details to an unexpected caller or message.
As reported by ABC11 Raleigh-Durham, Alyssa Parker of the Better Business Bureau of Eastern Carolinas warned that anyone promising “an incredible return” is a major red flag. Parker told the station taxpayers should stay involved in the filing process, confirm who is submitting returns for them and double-check where refunds will be deposited…