Beware of Stimulus Scammers – They Want Your Money
Many will see their stimulus checks hitting their bank accounts very soon but beware of online scammers that are trying to take your money. Here's what to look for. According to News 10 ABC, there is yet another scam to be aware of and this time it involves your stimulus check. The scammers are trying a variety of ways online to take your money from the government.
One way they are trying to take your stimulus check is by calling you and posing as the IRS, saying that they need more information from you to make sure you get your stimulus check. This is a scam. No one from the IRS will contact you. Josh Stein, the North Carolina Attorney General said,
The IRS will directly deposit it into your account or send you a check or debit card. They will not call you and ask for your bank account information or your social security number. If someone does that they are a criminal and you should hang up.
There is another way that scammers will try and reach you to gain access to your stimulus money. They are trying a text message scam. A friendly message comes through your phone that reads, "Check this Out". Then there is a follow-up text that asks you to click a link. This takes you to a fake site that asks for your personal information including your social security number.
Because checks are slowly being deposited and sent out by mail, it's giving scammers an opportunity to act as the IRS. Many Americans are waiting patiently for the checks so they think that if the IRS is reaching out they would get it faster. Don't fall for this scam. Beware.