Philadelphia officials are warning residents to be cautious of a rise in phishing text scams offering fake refunds. The Department of Revenue reported an increase in convincing fraudulent messages and emphasized that it will never request banking details or sensitive refund information via text, as reported by phila.gov.
Scammers are sending texts designed to look like official communications, attempting to trick recipients into clicking malicious links and sharing banking details tied to fake refund claims. The Philadelphia Department of Revenue stressed that it does not request such information through text messages. Residents are advised to mark suspicious texts as spam and delete them. Officials also confirmed that the city’s databases remain secure, with no breaches or compromised data reported.
Officials are urging residents to stay vigilant and question any unexpected requests for personal information. Suspicious messages that do not originate from the official phila.gov domain should be treated with caution and reported to the proper authorities. For additional guidance on protecting personal data from phishing scams, the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office offers resources on its website.
Residents who suspect their personal information may have been compromised are encouraged to contact the FBI at (215) 418-4000 or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov. The federal Internet Crime Complaint Center (ic3.gov) is also available for reporting online scams. On Monday, scammers sent fake messages claiming to be from the Philadelphia Department of Revenue, but officials remind the public to remain vigilant. More information is available at phila.gov.
