The scammers are trying their best to make the best of the current situation in the United States of America where the citizens are caught in a stimulus check frenzy. The department of the IRS gave an announcement on the information that they received It was stated that there was a great increase in the phishing scams that took place in the country especially during the summer season. This information was sought by the criminal investigation unit of the IRS. The announcement came in this week.
Stimulus Check Scams
Jim Lee, the chief of the investigation unit of the department of IRS gave a statement on the issue. It was stated that the number of scams with regard to the stimulus checks financial aid payments that were reached were more than what was seen in a decade. He also stressed the importance of keeping personal information confidential. He stated that taxpayers must be very careful while providing any sort of personal information and stay alert to prevent falling victim to the scams.
Scams concerning stimulus check financial aid payments are carried out either through emails or text messages. A recipient gets a message stating that the person is eligible to receive the payments. A link is attached to the message and in case someone follows it, it gives away their personal information. This can also lead to identity theft.
Scammers then try to fetch personal details like credit card info, bank account information, or social security number. This is done through the process called “smishing” or phishing. Smishing is a process where theft is carried out through text messages. Those American citizens who have been a target of stimulus check scams have provided pictures of messages that were sent by scammers. These scammers have made the best use of the coronavirus pandemic to earn money.
