State and local police are warning Ohio residents about a new text message scam that tricks people into sharing personal information by pretending to be from the Ohio Department of Taxation. The scam text claims, “Your tax refund request has been approved and is now pending release.” It includes a link that asks people to confirm their account details. “Scammers are getting smarter, copying our logos and making fake websites that seem real,” said Ohio Tax Commissioner Patricia Harris. Go straight to our official website, tax.ohio.gov.”The Warren and Newton Falls police departments also issued a warning, saying the ODT does not use text messages to contact taxpayers or handle payments. You can also report the scam to the Ohio Department of Commerce’s Office of Consumer Affairs at 866-278-0003 or webdfi-oca@com.ohio.gov.