Some taxpayers have received fraudulent statements purporting to be from the Comptroller’s office. If you suspect any correspondence from our agency is fraudulent, please notify us by emailing stop.spoofing@cpa.texas.gov
As a reminder, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts does not garnish wages or seize Social Security benefits. Any correspondence claiming such should be considered fraudulent.
Companies participating in the Central Master Bidders List (CMBL) reported a phishing email, purporting to come from the Texas Comptroller, that originated from an email domain that is not associated with our agency. This email falsely claimed the recipient needed to recertify to continue participation in the CMBL program and requested personal and financial information. The email also contained an attachment that, if opened, directed the email recipient to provide certain information to the perpetrator’s website. We believe the link is malicious and designed to spread malware or steal the login credentials and specific personal and financial information from the recipient.
For the convenience of Texas taxpayers, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA) will begin processing payments over the telephone using credit cards and debit transactions. CPA urges you to be on the lookout for unexpected scam phone calls from anyone claiming to be collecting on behalf of our office.
A caller from the Comptroller’s office will always:
A caller from the Comptroller’s office will never:
If you are unsure that the person calling you is from the Comptroller’s office, please hang up and call the number on our account statement or on our website.
Cybercriminals are sending spoofed (impersonated) emails — appearing to be from the Comptroller's office — inviting recipients to bid on attached falsified Requests for Quotations (RFQs) included with the spoofed emails. These emails are not from the Comptroller's office and the RFQs are a fraudulent attempt to steal your money.
The Comptroller’s office, like other companies and government agencies, has unfortunately been the subject of a number of recent email fraud attacks, including:
Spoofed emails purporting to be from our office and the Texas Department of Transportation using a fake agency email domain telling recipients to click on an attachment and “sign in with your email provider to generate a BID ID”. The attachment contains a fraudulent link designed to steal your email login credentials.
Spoofed emails claiming to be from our office but using a domain not associated with the agency, urging recipients to click on a “secure message” but the attachment is malicious, intended to steal usernames and passwords.
Spoofed emails purporting to be from our office but using a fake agency email domain telling recipients to click on an attachment and sign in to receive a message. The attachment contains a fraudulent link designed to steal your login credentials.
Spoofed emails (appear very similar to valid agency email addresses but with a period removed between first and last name) with fraudulent RFQs, designed to steal your money.
Spoofed emails purporting to be from an authorized GovDelivery email service but using a comcast.net email domain. The attached PDF instructs users to click on a “View Information” link which is designed to steal login credentials.
These cybercriminals are putting your information at risk and trying to damage good customer relationships. That is why we are expanding our efforts to fight fraud and keep you safe and secure.
If you are suspicious about an email that claims to be from the Comptroller’s office, follow these tips:
If you suspect any correspondence from our agency is fraudulent, please notify us by emailing stop.spoofing@cpa.texas.gov.
We recently became aware of a telephone scam involving an individual falsely claiming to represent the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Caller ID spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Spoofing is often used as part of an attempt to trick someone into giving away valuable personal information so it can be used in fraudulent activity or sold illegally, but also can be used legitimately, for example, to display the toll-free number for a business.
The Comptroller’s office, like other companies and government agencies, has unfortunately been the subject of a number of caller ID spoofing attacks, including:
These scammers are putting your information at risk and trying to damage good customer relationships. That is why we are expanding our efforts to fight fraud and keep you safe and secure.
If you are suspicious about a phone call that claims to be from the Comptroller’s office, follow these tips:
Some third party agents charge taxpayers a fee to submit an application for IFTA licenses and request the decals on their behalf. Individuals willing to pay a fee to third parties, should be aware the Comptroller issues these licenses and decals at no cost and does not charge an application fee. Please visit https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/fuels/ifta.php for additional information.
The Comptroller’s office offers assistance with recovering unclaimed property at no cost to claimants. Individuals willing to pay a fee to third parties offering assistance with unclaimed property should be aware that in most cases, fees cannot exceed 10% of the value of the property being claimed. Additional information is available at ClaimItTexas.org.
We recently became aware that the following website is charging taxpayers for services our office provides at no cost: http://statetaxcertificates.com/texas/. This third party is not claiming to be a state agency but the website is not secure, meaning data shared between you and this website is not encrypted. In addition the website contains the following misinformation: