Better Business Bureau Alerts Public to ‘Economic Impact Payment’ Scam

In light of the Internal Revenue Service‘s warning about scammers posing as the agency, the Better Business Bureau has issued a caution regarding a specific text message that is tricking taxpayers into revealing personal details by claiming they qualify for a four-digit stimulus payment.

“You are eligible to receive a $1,400 Economic Impact Payment,” states one of the texts sent out recently. “Please provide your correct personal information, and we will deposit the amount into your bank account or send a paper check within 1 or 2 business days.”

“(To proceed, reply with a ‘Y,’ then exit the message,” the fraudulent text advises. “Reopen it, click the provided link, or copy it into your Safari browser to access it.)”

“The genuine IRS has announced that automatic payments will be issued to eligible taxpayers who did not claim the Recovery Rebate Credit on their 2021 tax returns,” the BBB alerts. “The message contains a deceptive link resembling an official IRS site. Clicking on it could expose you to malware or direct you to a fraudulent form requesting your personal or financial information.”

“The IRS does not reach out to taxpayers through text messages, emails, or social media, and they will never ask for information this way,” adds the BBB.

Investigations into the fake link revealed a “homemade”-like webpage featuring Cyrillic script in the upper right corner, as described by one recipient.