IRS Warns Crypto Holders: Scammers Are Sending Fake Letters to Steal Assets or Data

Odaily Odaily reports that according to Bloomberg, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is warning crypto asset holders that scammers are contacting some taxpayers by mailing counterfeit letters in an attempt to steal their digital assets or personal data.

The IRS stated that these letters may ask taxpayers to register on a so-called "Digital Asset Compliance Portal," but this portal does not exist. The IRS also reminds users not to scan suspicious QR codes and not to answer or comply with calls demanding payment.

Although phishing and digital scams are not new to the crypto industry, sending fake IRS notices via physical mail appears to be a novel scam tactic. Because the IRS has indeed previously sent letters related to digital assets to taxpayers, and the number of crypto tax filing notifications surged last year, causing confusion among many taxpayers, scammers may be exploiting this familiarity to disguise themselves.

As the U.S. tax system requires taxpayers to disclose crypto asset activities on their tax returns, communication between the IRS and digital asset holders has become more common. This also makes fake tax notices more deceptive. For crypto users, encountering "IRS letters" involving portal registration, QR code scanning, wallet connections, or payment demands should warrant extreme caution, and verification should be conducted through official channels.