The IRS is cracking down on identity theft and scams.

The Justice Department's Tax Division charged more than 900-people for stealing thousands of identities and taking taxpayer refunds.

That's just in 1-week.

As people anxiously wait to receive money coming to them from the government, scam artists are also waiting.

They're waiting for people like you and I to let down our guard so they can capitalize on your tax refund.

"Our bill collectors are at bay right now, so we're robbing Peter to pay Paul," said tax payer Rebecca Rolling.

Like many Americans, money is tight after the holidays.

Rolling decided to file her taxes early so she could use her refund to lower her debt.

Her tax preparer gave her a debit card where her refund was going to get transferred to.

But things took a turn for the worse when the money didn't show up on the card.

“We received a text message from H&R Block telling us our Emerald Card had been locked and call this number to have it unlocked,” said Rolling.

Rolling dialed the number, but something seemed fishy.

"It sounded odd, it was a computer-generated recording and it didn't sound like it should have."

She alerted H&R Block and a representative told her it was a scam.

"Tax scams are going to be out there. The number 1 clue you want to look for is the return address. If it's not (.gov) then it's not real," said Houston County Sheriff Captain Antonio Gonzalez.

The Justice Department is working with the IRS to investigate, prosecute, and punish tax income crimes like this one.

If you receive an email claiming to be from IRS that contains a request for personal information, officials say follow these 5 tips.

1. Do not reply
2. Do not open any attachments
3. Do not click on any of the links.
4. Forward the email to phishing at irs.gov
5. After you forward the email, delete the original version.

“Once they steal your identity it's not just an issue of a few minutes, it's an issue of a few years you're talking years of correcting your identity theft issues," said Gonzalez.

Rolling has since contacted the IRS and law enforcement the company sent her another card and she expects to receive her refund any day now.