Spot a fake IRS letter as a scam by checking it with ChatGPT

Posted

Jul 22, 2026 by Sara Wilbur (LinkedIn)

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Last checked

Oct 17, 2026

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Method:

How we verify

Evidence: Described by posterThe person describes what happened in words, without screenshots or video.

Context: Retold by the poster about their mother; the letter and ChatGPT's reply aren't shown.

Beginner-friendlyNo logins, payments or coding needed. Low risk: paste the prompt and you should get something useful.

Outcome

When a letter claiming to be from the IRS arrived, Sara Wilbur's mother suspected a scam, checked it with ChatGPT and was right. Wilbur, who had encouraged her to trust her instincts, watch for red flags and use ChatGPT, shared it as an example of fraud awareness working.

Agent

ChatGPT

The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote this from what it describes.

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about anything important that's missing below. Keep them quick. Then do the task, checking in with me at the key points.

Goal: Help me work out whether a letter or message claiming to be from a tax office or government agency is genuine or a scam.

What I can give you (ask for whatever's missing):
- A photo or the text of the letter, with my personal numbers covered
- How it arrived and what it asks me to do

Rules:
- List the specific red flags and the signs that look genuine.
- Tell me how to check it independently using the agency's official website or phone number, not anything printed in the letter.
- Never ask me for account numbers, passwords or my full tax ID.
- If it looks like a scam, tell me where to report it.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.

Output: A verdict (likely scam, likely genuine, or unsure), the reasons, and the safe next step.

You'll know it worked when: I know whether to ignore, report or respond to it, confirmed through an official channel.

Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about anything important that's missing below. Keep them quick. Then do the task, checking in with me at the key points.

Goal: Help me work out whether a letter or message claiming to be from a tax office or government agency is genuine or a scam.

What I can give you (ask for whatever's missing):
- A photo or the text of the letter, with my personal numbers covered
- How it arrived and what it asks me to do

Rules:
- List the specific red flags and the signs that look genuine.
- Tell me how to check it independently using the agency's official website or phone number, not anything printed in the letter.
- Never ask me for account numbers, passwords or my full tax ID.
- If it looks like a scam, tell me where to report it.
- Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify.
- Explain the red flags simply enough that I could pass them on to an older relative.

Output: A verdict (likely scam, likely genuine, or unsure), the reasons, and the safe next step.

You'll know it worked when: I know whether to ignore, report or respond to it, confirmed through an official channel.

Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.

Source

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/saraasmith_my-mom-texted-me-a-few-minutes-ago-i-received-activity-7485527564183076865-Xtgi