Tax refund scam targets Californians

Description

The California Franchise Tax Board has issued a warning about a tax scam targeting taxpayers through text messages. The scam involves fraudulent links mimicking official FTB web pages to steal personal and banking information. The messages claim to be about approved tax refunds and request recipients to provide collection information before a specific deadline. Key indicators of the scam include suspicious domain names, urgent language, requests for sensitive data, promised instant rewards, odd link-opening instructions, and foreign phone numbers. To stay safe, individuals are advised to be cautious of these signs, keep devices updated, use anti-malware protection, and verify information through official channels.