Tax season brings more than paperwork—it brings a surge in sophisticated scams targeting retirees. Criminals know older Americans often expect refunds, may be less familiar with digital red flags, and have stable income worth stealing. The result is a flood of fake IRS messages, identity theft schemes, and impersonation attempts arriving when you're most distracted.

Modern tax scams are surprisingly convincing. Gone are the obvious typos and suspicious grammar. Today's scams use real IRS logos, official-looking case numbers, and urgent language designed to make you panic and act fast. Scammers often include your real name, city, or other personal details in these messages. That's not a coincidence—they buy that information from data brokers who legally collect and sell personal data including your address, phone number, and income estimates.

You have more control than you might think. Many data brokers are legally required to remove your information when you ask, though they make the process tedious. Incogni handles this by submitting removal requests to more than 420 data brokers and monitoring compliance. Plans start at just $6.39/month with family coverage options and identity theft protection up to $1M available. 9to5Mac readers can save 58% with code 9TO5MAC.