The IRS warns of counterfeit tax letters targeting crypto holders, while Senator Lummis's X account was briefly hacked to promote a meme coin. Scammers exploit regulatory narratives.
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The IRS has warned of a new phishing scheme that uses counterfeit agency letters to target crypto holders. Separately, Senator Cynthia Lummis's X account was briefly compromised to promote a Solana meme coin called "USA."
On July 30, the IRS Criminal Investigation division said scammers are mailing fake "Digital Asset Compliance" letters. The letters direct recipients to a lookalike IRS domain via a QR code and threaten penalties if they do not register by an urgent deadline. Once on the site, victims are asked for identification data and wallet or exchange account information. The goal is to impersonate users and steal their crypto.
IRS-CI Chief Jarod Koopman said in a statement:
"Criminals continue to exploit public trust in government agencies by creating convincing fake websites and official-looking correspondence."
In a separate incident, Lummis's X account posted a link to the newly created Solana meme coin for about five minutes. The post was quickly taken down. Many in the crypto community flagged it as suspicious. Lummis's team later confirmed the account was hacked. No losses were reported.
The timing coincided with Lummis's push for the CLARITY Act, a bill that would provide regulatory clarity for digital assets. The episode shows the risk of social media account takeovers targeting influential figures. A related CLARITY Act delay risks US crypto lead, Haridopolos warns article covers the broader legislative context.
For crypto users, the incidents reinforce basic security practices. Verify any unsolicited correspondence from government agencies. Keep private keys and recovery phrases offline. Treat unexpected promotions from high-profile accounts with skepticism.
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