I Team

IRS says to watch out for stimulus check scams, COVID-19 schemes

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

IRS says to watch out for stimulus check scams, COVID-19 schemes

The IRS is asking people to be wary as scams related to stimulus checks and COVID-19 abound.

The IRS is warning taxpayers about a new wave of COVID-19 scams that are targeting people's stimulus payments and personal information.

In the last several months, the IRS said it's seen a variety of stimulus payment scams and other financial schemes designed to steal money and personal information from taxpayers.

Criminals are taking advantage of the second round of Economic Impact Payments, as well as the approaching tax filing season.

The thieves' goal is to trick honest taxpayers out of their money.

What were the top scams of 2020? What you need to watch out for in 2021. Consumer Investigator Jason Knowles has the rundown.

Some common COVID-19 scams include:

Text messages asking taxpayers to disclose bank account information under the promise of receiving a $1,200 Economic Impact Payment.

Phishing schemes using email, letters and social media messages with keywords like "Coronavirus," "COVID-19" and "stimulus" in varying ways. These scammers know many people are in desperate need of money, and they'll use certain buzz words to entice you.

Another big scam the IRS is seeing is the sale of fake at-home COVID-19 test kits.

The IRS said taxpayers should not engage in these types of solicitations.

To learn more about COVID-19 and stimulus payment scams, visit IRS.gov.

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