IRS Warns of Tax-Letter Phishing Targeting Crypto Holders

The US Internal Revenue Service has warned cryptocurrency holders about a phishing campaign that combines counterfeit tax correspondence, malicious QR codes and follow-up phone calls. The scheme is significant because a paper letter bearing government branding can appear more credible than an unsolicited email or text. Once criminals obtain account credentials, one-time verification codes or wallet recovery phrases, crypto assets can be transferred quickly and transactions are generally difficult to reverse.

Scammers are mailing letters designed to resemble official IRS notices and directing recipients, via QR codes, to a fraudulent portal. The site asks victims to identify the platforms where they hold cryptocurrency, disclose the approximate size of their assets and provide a telephone number. Impostors then pose as customer-support agents in voice-phishing calls and seek verification codes or seed phrases. Cybersecurity researchers said the targeted mailing lists largely trace back to earlier customer-data breaches involving hardware-wallet providers.