Statewide, DE — The Delaware Department of Finance and the Division of Revenue are warning residents about a recent surge in fraudulent text messages impersonating the Division of Revenue. These scam messages claim that a taxpayer’s refund “has been processed and approved” and demand that recipients provide “valid payment information” by a specific deadline. The message also falsely states that the refund will be forfeited if no response is received.

Do not click on any links or respond to these messages. The Delaware Division of Revenue does not send text messages requesting personal or financial information, and there is no such thing as automatic forfeiture of a tax refund due to lack of response.

If you are unsure about the status of your refund or tax account, please contact Public Service directly at 302-577-8200.

Scammers often use fear and urgency to manipulate victims into taking immediate action. They may also use publicly available information such as your name or phone number to make the messages appear more legitimate. 

To protect yourself from these scams, the Division of Revenue offers the following tips:

• Don’t Rush: Scammers create a false sense of urgency. Take your time to review any unexpected communications carefully.
• Verify the Source: Never trust contact information provided in a suspicious message. Instead, visit delaware.gov and log into your portal account or call the official hotline to verify if a legitimate notice was issued.
• Watch for Red Flags: Be cautious of messages lacking details about your specific tax account or those that don’t include a return mailing address. Official notices will always contain verifiable contact and account information.
• Protect Your Information: Never share personal or financial details in response to unsolicited messages. Only provide information through verified and secure channels.

Important Notice:
Please note that the Division of Revenue’s online portal is currently experiencing downtime due to a system upgrade. We appreciate your patience as we work to restore full service on October 6, 2025.

For updates and more information, visit tax.delaware.gov.

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Kylie Taylor-Roberts
Public Information Officer
Delaware Department of Finance
(302) 577- 8952