As tax scams and ghost tax preparer activity continue evolving, CTEC expanded its taxpayer protection and public awareness efforts throughout the 2026 tax season to help Californians identify legitimate tax preparers, recognize warning signs of fraud, and access trusted tax-related information.
A recent survey found strong public awareness and engagement tied to CTEC’s taxpayer protection messaging throughout the Los Angeles market. Approximately one-third of surveyed Los Angeles respondents recalled seeing or hearing CTEC campaign messaging within the previous 12 months, while 51% reported familiarity with the organization.
According to the research, CTEC’s wildfire fraud prevention outreach likely contributed to stronger long-term awareness and message recall among Los Angeles residents.
The survey also demonstrated strong taxpayer engagement and consumer action intent:
- 77% reported they would likely verify a tax preparer before filing
- 84% indicated willingness to report fraudulent tax preparers
- 83% stated they would visit CTEC.org for additional taxpayer protection information
Throughout the 2026 tax season, CTEC focused heavily on fraud prevention, ghost tax preparer awareness, preparer verification, and consumer education. Outreach efforts included multilingual digital campaigns, streaming media, podcasts, social media engagement, and public education initiatives designed to reach Californians across multiple platforms.
During the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, CTEC also launched a targeted digital awareness campaign warning taxpayers about fraudsters and ghost tax preparers that often emerge following major disasters. CTEC partnered with the Franchise Tax Board (FTB) to further expand public education through bilingual podcast public service announcements in both English and Spanish.
As awareness increased, more Californians actively searched for tax preparer verification tools, fraud prevention guidance, and consumer protection information online. Engagement across CTEC’s digital platforms increased significantly during the 2026 tax season, particularly around preparer verification and fraud prevention resources.
Media coverage, multilingual outreach, and affiliate pickup further expanded public access to taxpayer protection information, generating an estimated audience reach exceeding 241 million through earned media exposure.
Fraud prevention and legitimacy-focused messaging consistently performed strongest across English-, Spanish-, and Mandarin-speaking audiences, reinforcing the importance of accessible, multilingual taxpayer education efforts throughout California.
As online scams and fraudulent tax preparation activity continue evolving, CTEC remains committed to helping Californians access trusted information, identify legitimate tax preparers, and protect themselves before financial harm occurs.
