If you have received an IRS notice asking for your bank account information, there is one thing you should do before anything else: slow down. A scam targeting that exact notice is circulating widely right now, and the fake versions are convincing enough that taxpayers across the country have been caught off guard. 

The notice is called the CP53E. It is a legitimate piece of IRS correspondence, sent as part of a broader effort to move taxpayers away from paper refund checks and onto direct deposit. When the IRS does not have banking information on file for a taxpayer who is owed a refund, it sends this notice asking them to provide it. By early 2026, over 1.4 million of these notices had gone out. That volume created an opportunity for fraud, and scammers moved quickly to take advantage of it. 

The fake versions tend to follow the same pattern. They include a QR code or a clickable link directing you to verify, activate, or unfreeze a refund. Some ask for banking information by phone, text, or email. Many use urgent or threatening language to push you toward immediate action, and some are forward-dated to make the deadline feel more pressing than it is. A real CP53E does none of those things. A legitimate notice gives you a 30-day response window, does not threaten consequences for delay, and does not include any mechanism for submitting your banking details other than through your individual account at IRS.gov, which you access by typing the address directly into your browser. 

There is one more complication worth knowing about. Some authentic CP53E notices appear to have been sent by the IRS in error, including to taxpayers who are not owed a refund at all. So even a real notice may not require any action on your part. The right move in any case is the same: do not respond to the notice directly, do not call any number listed on it, and do not provide your banking information until you have confirmed with your advisor what the notice actually means for your situation. 

At MTA, we work with clients throughout the year to make sure situations like this do not become surprises. If you have received a CP53E and are not sure what to do with it, that is exactly the kind of call we are here for. Our team has been helping Houston’s high net worth individuals and business owners navigate complex tax situations since 1985. We are here to help you stay ahead of them.