MN Department of Revenue warns of texting scam targeting residents

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Department of Revenue is alerting residents of a new text scam aiming to steal personal bank information. 

Texting scam

The backstory:

According to a release, the fraudulent messages claim to be from the department. It asks recipients to click on a hyperlink and update their banking information to claim a refund. 

The department warns the texts are not from the department, and emphasizes that it would never send unsolicited communications asking taxpayers to update personal or financial information. 

Below is an example of the scam text to be aware of: 

Your refund request has been processed and approved. Please provide accurate payment information by [DATE]. Funds will be deposited into your bank account or mailed to you via paper check within 1 to 2 business days.

[LINK]

Failure to submit the required payment information by [DATE] will result in permeant forfeiture of this refund under Minnesota Statute 5747.11. reply "Y" then close and reopen this message to activate the link. If the issue persists, copy the link and enter it directly into your browser.

Minnesota Department of Revenue | St. Paul MN | Official State Government Agency 

What you can do:

Those who receive the message are urged not to click on the link, report the text as junk/spam on their phone, and delete it. If someone has clicked on the link and provided information, the department advises you to contact your bank. 

The Minnesota Department of Revenue said its systems and taxpayer data are not at risk, according to the release.