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How advanced are preying on tax filers and the red flags experts say not to ignore

• Fraudsters are using artificial intelligence to impersonate the IRS, tax software companies, and even tax preparers through realistic texts, emails, calls, and social media posts.

• While seniors are frequent targets, younger filers are also at risk especially on social media and anyone feeling rushed or overwhelmed can be vulnerable.

• The IRS wont text or email you, urgent threats are a major warning sign, and unusual payment requests or fake websites are clear signals of a scam.

For many Americans, tax season already comes with enough stress gathering paperwork, double-checking numbers, and hoping for a refund instead of a bill. But this year, theres another threat quietly lurking in inboxes, text messages, and phone calls: AI-powered designed to look and sound more convincing than ever.

Fraudsters are increasingly using artificial intelligence to impersonate IRS agents, tax software companies, and even trusted tax preparers, making it harder for consumers to tell whats legitimate and whats a trap. These can arrive as a perfectly worded email, a realistic robocall, or a text message that seems to know just enough personal information to feel real. The goal is simple trick tax filers into handing over sensitive data or money before they realize somethings wrong.

ConsumerAffairs spoke with Clayton LiaBraaten, Senior Executive Industry Expert at Truecaller, to learn more about who is most vulnerable to these , the red flags to watch for, and how to protect your personal information.

What to look for

LiaBraaten explained that while the tools that scammers are using are more sophisticated, the underlying patterns of deception remain visible if you know where to look. Here are some red flags to look out for this tax season:

• Know the IRS' contact methods: The IRS will never initiate contact via text, email, or social media to discuss personal tax matters or refunds. If you didn't initiate the conversation, treat it with extreme caution. If a social media ad promises a secret credit or a refund that seems mathematically impossible, its bait.

• False sense of urgency: Scammers rely on a false sense of urgency, capitalizing on external environmental factors that work on people's insecurities and fears. Pressure tactics such as threatening immediate arrest, deportation, or the loss of your refund if you don't act now.

• Strange money requests: Any request to pay a tax bill via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, Zelle, or gift cards is a definite red flag.

• Look closely at website addresses: Something like a link to IRS-refund-portal.gov instead of the official site is a trap designed to harvest your Social Security number and personal information, which could lead to identity theft and defrauding.

Whos most at risk?

When it comes to these , LiaBraaten explained that no age group is out of reach for scammers. While seniors are the primary targets, Gen Z and Millennials are also targets.

Seniors are more likely to answer the phone and treat incoming communication as a call to action, he said. This vulnerability stems from the fact that seniors have predictable wealth and income structures they have built, such as Social Security benefits, monthly pensions and retirement distributions.

However, younger generations have less experience with filing taxes and spend more time on social media, where scammers are now setting traps through fake influencers and too good to be true tax advice. Ultimately, anyone overwhelmed by the complexity of the tax code or the pressure of a tough and uncertain economy is susceptible.

Protect your personal information

With much of tax season still left to go, there are ways to protect your personal information. Here are LiaBraatens best tips:

• Never click a link in an unsolicited text or email. Instead, type "IRS.gov" directly into your browser or log in through your official tax software portal to check your status.

• Deploy the necessary technological insurance to cover yourself the extra mile. Use call and text screening solutions that utilize massive databases and AI to block known scammers before they reach you.

• Utilizean Identity Protection PIN from the IRS. This 6-digit code acts as a secondary lock, preventing anyone from filing a return using your Social Security number without your authorization.

• If you must pay a fee, use a credit card rather than a debit card. Credit cards offer superior fraud protection, and youre essentially using the banks money and not your own.

There was a huge decline in job openings in December

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• U.S. job openings fell to 6.5 million in December, continuing a downward trend and marking a decline of nearly one million positions over the past year.

• Hiring and separations both held steady at 5.3 million, signaling a labor market that is cooling but not collapsing.

• Quits remained unchanged at 3.2 million, suggesting workers are growing more cautious about leaving their jobs.

Government data is showinga huge drop in the number of job openings from December 2025. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports total job openings dropped to 6.5 million at the end of the month, down 386,000 from November, and nearly onemillion lower than a year earlier.

Thats the lowest level since September 2020, making it more difficult for job seekers to find employment.

The steepest declines in open positions were concentrated in professional and business services, which shed 257,000 openings. Retail trade followed with a loss of 195,000 openings, while finance and insurance fell by 120,000. Together, those sectors accounted for most of the months decline.

Despite fewer available jobs, hiring activity remained largely unchanged. Employers added 5.3 million workers in December, matching the prior months pace and translating to a hiring rate of 3.3%. Gains were modest and uneven, with increases in real estate and rental and leasing, as well as state and local government jobs outside of education. Federal government hiring dipped slightly.

Evidence of stability

Separations which include quits, layoffs, discharges, and other departures also totaled 5.3 million in December, leaving the overall separation rate unchanged at 3.3%. That balance between hires and separations suggests a labor market that is stabilizing rather than contracting sharply.

Voluntary quits, often viewed as a measure of worker confidence, remained flat at 3.2 million. Quits declined notably in professional and business services and private educational services, but rose in retail trade and the information sector. The quits rate stayed at 2.0%, continuing a gradual cooling from the elevated levels seen during the height of the Great Resignation.

Layoffs and discharges were little changed overall at 1.8 million, with a steady rate of 1.1%. However, transportation, warehousing, and utilities saw a sizable increase in layoffs, while finance and insurance recorded a modest decline. Other separations, such as retirements and transfers, also held steady.

Say good-bye to a breakfast tradition

By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs

• Coca-Cola is phasing out Minute Maid frozen juice concentrates, ending a decades-old staple of American freezers.

• The company says shifting consumer habits and declining demand drove the decision.

• Retailers and longtime fans are preparing for the disappearance of a once-ubiquitous product.

When was the last time you made up a pitcher of orange juice from a can of frozen concentrate? Exactly.

Coca-Cola, which owns the iconic Minute Maid brand, has announced it will stop making the cans of frozen concentrate juice. These days, consumers prefer the grab-and-go bottles of juice without having to mix concentrate with water.

The company has confirmed that production of the frozen concentrates will be phased out as it refocuses the Minute Maid brand on products that better align with current consumer preferences. Ready-to-drink juices, refrigerated beverages, and lower-sugar options have steadily gained ground, while demand for frozen concentrates has continued to decline.

A sign of the times

Minute Maid frozen juice concentrates were once a fixture in U.S. households, prized for their affordability, long freezer life, and convenience. Introduced in the postwar boom of frozen foods, the products became synonymous with orange juice at breakfast tables across the country.

In recent years, however, shoppers have increasingly favored fresh or refrigerated juices over products that require mixing and preparation.

Coca-Cola emphasized that the move does not signal an exit from the juice category. Minute Maid remains a core brand within the companys portfolio, with continued investment planned for bottled juices, juice drinks, and newer offerings positioned around wellness and flavor variety.

Simplifying things for supermarkets

For retailers, the discontinuation will simplify freezer sections that have already been shrinking, as frozen food space is reallocated to faster-moving categories. Some grocery chains had already reduced or eliminated frozen juice concentrates due to slow sales and low turnover.

Still, the decision has sparked nostalgia among baby boomers who grew up with the ritual of popping open a can of frozen concentrate and mixing it with water. On social media, some consumers have lamented the loss of what they see as a more economical and less wasteful option compared with single-serve bottles.

Food historians note that the decline of frozen juice concentrates mirrors broader changes in American eating habits. Once celebrated as a modern convenience, frozen concentrates now compete with a crowded beverage landscape that includes cold-pressed juices, smoothies, flavored waters, and energy drinks.

Coca-Cola has not announced an exact end date for all Minute Maid frozen concentrate products, but consumers can expect availability to diminish as existing inventory is sold through.

Heres what now happens at the airport without a REAL ID

• TSA has introduced a paid backup identity check for travelers who arrive without acceptable identification.

• Expect extra steps, manual identity verification, and longer checkpoint wait times that could put you at risk of missing your flight.

• A REAL IDcompliant license, passport, or other accepted federal ID lets you skip the fee and move through security normally.

Heads up if youre flying soon: As of February 1st, travelers who show up to the airport without a REAL ID or other acceptable ID can still flybut it may cost you $45 and extra time.

Heres whats changing and how to avoid turning your trip into a security-line nightmare.

Whats new at airport security

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is rolling out a paid backup identity check called TSA ConfirmID.

If you arrive at the checkpoint without an acceptable ID, youll be referred to the TSA ConfirmID website.

From there, youll follow the steps to get your ID confirmed and be charged a flat $45 fee in the process.

Youll then show your TSA ConfirmID receipt to the TSA officer and follow their instructions.

This is essentially a paid workaround for people who still dont have a REAL IDcompliant license or another approved document.

But TSA is very clear to state that this will likely slow you down, and you could risk missing your flight.

IDs that do get you through without the fee

You do not have to pay the $45 if you bring one of these:

• REAL IDcompliant drivers license (look for the star)
• U.S. passport or passport card
• DHS Trusted Traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
• U.S. military ID
• Permanent resident card
• Tribal-issued photo ID
• Transportation Worker ID (TWIC)
• Veteran Health ID Card

Not accepted: Temporary paper licenses or standard licenses that arent REAL IDcompliant.

The times when paying $45 might make sense

This fee isnt meant to be routine. Its more of a last-minute rescue option.

It could be worth it if:

• You have an urgent, non-refundable trip.
• Your ID was lost or stolen right before travel.
• You didnt realize your license wasnt REAL ID compliant.

Think of it like an airline baggage fee: painful, but sometimes cheaper than canceling a trip.

Why this could seriously delay you

TSA says passengers using ConfirmID should expect:

• Extra screening steps.
• Manual identity verification.
• Longer wait times at the checkpoint.

And since this process varies by airport, theres no guarantee itll be quick anywhere.

Translation: This is not the line you want to be in 40 minutes before boarding.

The smart traveler play (do this instead)

If you fly even once or twice a year, skip the fee and hassle:

1. Check your license today.Look for a star in the upper corner. No star = not REAL ID.

2. Book a DMV appointment now. Wait times are getting longer as more people realize they need one.

3. Use your passport as a backup. If you already have one, this is the easiest workaround.

4. Add ID to your pre-trip checklist. Add it right next to boarding pass and charger. Seriously.

The bottom line

TSAs new $45 ConfirmID option is a pay-to-fly fallback, not really a convenience perk.

While it can save your trip when in a pinch, count on it taking extra time, stress, and possibly a missed flight.

If you want the smooth, shoes-off, laptop-out experience we all know and tolerateget a REAL ID or travel with a passport.

A recent U.S. study explored how every day diet choices impact heart attack, stroke risk

• Eating more ultra-processed foods like sodas, packaged snacks, and processed meats was linked to a 47% higher risk of heart attack or stroke in a large U.S. adult sample.

• Researchers measured how much of peoples daily calories came from ultra-processed foods using established diet surveys and CVD history reports.

• Even after adjusting for age, smoking, income and other factors, the highest consumers of ultra-processed foods still showed a statistically significant increased cardiovascular disease risk.

Chances are, many of us grab a packaged snack or sugary drink without much thought theyre everywhere and easy to eat.

But what exactly counts as an ultra-processed food (UPF)? In research terms, these are foods that are industrially made with ingredients like sugars, salts, fats, emulsifiers, and other additives and often lack whole food nutrients.

A team of researchers led by Florida Atlantic University set out to explore something important: are diets high in these ultra-processed foods linked with serious heart problems like heart attacks and strokes?

The findings from our study, based on a large, nationally representative sample of 4,787 U.S. adults, show that those with the highest intake of UPFs suffer a statistically significant and clinically important 47% higher risk of cardiovascular disease, researcher Charles H. Hennekens, M.D., FACPM, FACC, said in a news release.

These results have major implications for future research as well as clinical care and public policy.

The study

To study this, scientists tapped into the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which collects detailed information on Americans eating habits, health history, and lifestyle.

Heres what they did:

• They looked at 4,787 adults who had provided at least one day of detailed dietary records between 2021 and 2023.

• Using a widely accepted system called the NOVA classification, researchers calculated what percentage of each persons calories came from ultra-processed foods think sodas, frozen dinners, packaged snacks, and similar products.

• Participants were placed into four groups from lowest to highest UPF consumption.

• The team compared those groups against reports of cardiovascular disease (defined as having had a heart attack or stroke), while statistically controlling for factors at play like age, sex, smoking habits, and income.

The results

What stood out most was the link between high UPF intake and cardiovascular events:

• Adults in the highest group of ultra-processed food consumption had a 47% higher risk of cardiovascular disease compared with those in the lowest group even after accounting for lifestyle and demographic differences.

In simple terms, this means that among people with similar ages, smoking status, income, and more, those eating the most ultra-processed foods were more likely to report serious heart or stroke problems than those eating less.

The researchers point out that long-term, randomized studies would help confirm these findings, but for now this evidence suggests its worth paying attention to how much processed food ends up on your plate. As they put it, health professionals might consider advising patients to reduce ultra-processed food intake alongside other proven lifestyle changes.

Addressing UPFs isnt just about individual choices its about creating environments where the healthy option is the easy option, said Dr. Hennekens. Clinical guidance and public health education are necessary to make nutritious foods accessible and affordable for everyone.

What this means for everyday eating

For consumers, the takeaway from the study isnt about eliminating every packaged food its about awareness and balance.

One practical step is paying attention to how much of your daily calorie intake comes from ultra-processed items, especially foods like sugary drinks, packaged snacks, and heavily processed meats. The researchers grouped people based on proportion of calories, suggesting that overall dietary patterns matter more than any single food choice.

Ultimately, this research supports the idea that small, realistic dietary adjustments not perfection could play a role in long-term heart health, especially when combined with other well-established lifestyle factors like not smoking and staying physically active.