COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Department of Taxation (ODT) is warning Ohioans of a new text scam from fraudsters claiming to be from the department.

The fraudulent message says, "Your tax refund request has been approved and is now pending release," and asks would-be victims to click on a link to confirm their account details.

The link will then take users to a web page mimicking ODT's official page and even displays its logo and branding.

"Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, even going as far as to copy our logos and create fake websites that look official," said Ohio Tax Commissioner Patricia Harris.

Harris is reminding Ohioans that ODT never contacts anyone via text about their taxes or funds and will never request or disperse payments through text. 

Anyone who receives a message like this is asked not to click the link, respond to the text or share personal information. If you're on the fence about whether a message you receive regarding ODT is real, you can contact them via their official website.

If you have fallen victim to this scam or believe that you have fallen victim, you're asked to contact your local law enforcement agency as well as your credit reporting agency to inform them that you have been compromised. You're also asked to contact the Ohio Attorney General's Office.