Marketplace Morning Report How to protect yourself from tax season scams
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Mar 23, 2026 Abhishek Karnik, McAfee threat intelligence lead, explains tax scams and AI-enabled impersonation. Nancy Marshall-Genzer, Marketplace reporter, breaks down the San Francisco jury ruling on Elon Musk and Twitter. Julia Coronado, macro economist, examines why safe-haven assets are behaving oddly amid global uncertainty. Multiple short, engaging conversations cover spotting scams, reporting fraud, market reactions, and legal fallout.
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Tax Season Triggers Spike In Phishing And Impersonation
- Tax season sharply increases phishing and impersonation scams targeting refunds and urgent filings.
- McAfee finds nearly 1 in 4 Americans hit by tax-related scams and average expected loss is about $1,020 per victim, with scams timed around refunds.
AI Makes Impersonation Scams More Convincing
- AI is amplifying impersonation scams by making communications more convincing.
- McAfee warns that synthesized language and AI-generated content make it harder for consumers to distinguish real from fake.
Avoid Urgent Tax Messages And Suspicious Payment Methods
- Do treat urgent-sounding messages about taxes as red flags because the IRS typically communicates by mail.
- Avoid following links or calls demanding immediate payment methods like wire transfers, gift cards, cashier's checks, or cryptocurrency.