Staff report

State and local police are warning Ohio residents about a new text message scam that tricks people into sharing personal information by pretending to be from the Ohio Department of Taxation.

The scam text claims, “Your tax refund request has been approved and is now pending release.” It includes a link that asks people to confirm their account details. The link leads to a fake website that looks like the ODT’s official page, complete with the department’s logo and design.

“Scammers are getting smarter, copying our logos and making fake websites that seem real,” said Ohio Tax Commissioner Patricia Harris. “The Department of Taxation will never text you about your taxes or refunds. If you get one of these messages, don’t click the link. Go straight to our official website, tax.ohio.gov.”

The Warren and Newton Falls police departments also issued a warning, saying the ODT does not use text messages to contact taxpayers or handle payments. They advise people not to click links, respond to suspicious texts, or share personal or financial details through text messages.

If you think you’ve been targeted by this scam, police recommend contacting your local law enforcement, credit reporting agencies, and the Ohio Attorney General. You can also report the scam to the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Office of Consumer Affairs at 866-278-0003 or webdfi-oca@com.ohio.gov.