What the Tech? Beware of Scammers Wanting Your Stimulus Check
If you haven’t done it already, you can go to the IRS website to search for when your stimulus check will be mailed out. Enter your address, birth date and social security card number and the website will show you.
Many are in the mail right now. And because of that, your phone may be ringing off the hook from scammers hoping to get some of it.
According to a study conducted by the robo-call blocking app HiYa, since COVID-19 came on the radar a couple of months ago, robo calls and scams increased 844% from March 16th to March 23rd. The numbers have continued to go up in the weeks that followed.
The most popular scam, according to HiYa, the caller says they’ve got your stimulus payment and asks for your bank account information to do a direct deposit.
The second most popular scam is the caller asking for additional information, such as your social security number to deposit the check while they’re on the phone.
Other scams on the rise are from fake companies or government agencies. They might offer loan forgiveness or advances. They might also say there’s a problem with your social security number or some other incorrect information that is holding up your check.
HiYa has also noticed an uptick in scams related to health insurance, home sanitization and even fake COVID-19 cures.
Those calls can come from anywhere and any number or area code, but HiYa finds a lot of those scam calls coming from San Antonio, Texas, Louisville, Kentucky, Portland, Oregon, Atlanta, Georgia and Dallas, Texas.
The best thing to do, is not answer a call or return one from a number you do not recognize, especially if it is from one of those area codes and remember, no one from any government agency will ever contact you by phone or email asking for personal information.
To check on your stimulus check you can visit the IRS website at IRS.GOV, or download the app IRS2Go.
