It’s tax season, and while you’re dreaming about your refund, so are scammers. Cybercriminals use the urgency of tax filing to target consumers via text, phone, call, ads and more.
Leading into 2026, fraud industry professionals are already reporting a 67% increase in tax-related fraud attempts refund update fraud leading to the increase. This may be why Google Search saw terms like “safe tax” reach an all-time high and “tax identity shield” increase over 120% over the past month. Today, we’re sharing five ways Google can help protect you from scammers this tax season.
1. Screen those “too good to be true” calls on the Pixel
Remember, the IRS will never call you out of the blue to offer a rebate. But to make doubly sure you don’t fall for a fake phone call, Pixel phones offer several layers of protection, including Call Screen, which detects and filters out spam calls for you. On average, Pixel users with Call Screen experienced 70% fewer spam calls.
To further help protect you from sophisticated scams while keeping your privacy top of mind, Pixel owners can also opt-in to real-time Scam Detection alerts in their phone app. Your Pixel uses on-device AI to alert you when it detects conversational patterns commonly associated with fraud (such as urgent requests for money due to an account breach). You will then get a notification, sound and vibration to warn you that this request has a high fraud potential.
2. Fact check fraud in seconds
A popular tactic among scammers involves sending fraudulent text messages to your phone or through messaging apps and social media. During tax season, many of these scams claim to have information about a potential refund or to impersonate the IRS. While Android already helps protect you from suspicious texts in Google Messages with built-in scam detection , with Circle to Search and Lens, it’s now easier to spot a potential scam message. And most importantly, you can check for scams with Circle to Search in any messaging or social media app.
On your Android device, just long press your home button and circle the message that looks suspicious. Our systems will use AI to assess whether the message is likely to be a scam. You’ll see an overview with guidance and insights, including suggested next steps. This feature is also available through Lens via the Google app (Android and iOS) in three quick steps: Take a screenshot of the message, open Lens in the Google app, and tap the screenshot.