Scammers continue to target New Yorkers with a dangerous inflation refund scam that pushes residents to share personal and banking information. These fake messages — via text, email, and direct mail — claim people must verify their payment details to receive refund checks. You don’t need to do anything to get your refundGovernor Kathy Hochul confirmed that eligible New Yorkers automatically receive inflation refund checks without signing up, applying, or verifying anything. Scammers want you to believe that the IRS or New York State Tax Department needs your information to deposit the money. “The Tax Department and the IRS do not call or text individuals for personal information,” Hochul said.