The IRS has issued warnings against stimulus check scams that involve the economic impact payments of the federal government. It came after it recorded the highest number of scam reports over a decade- which has coincided with calls for another stimulus payment.
In a Tuesday news release, the agency sounded their warnings about the recent increment in phishing scams- aimed towards convincing their victims to enter private information on a fraudulent, public site. The agency has also mentioned that it has received quite a large number of fraud reports- the highest over the last decade.
IRS Warns Against Stimulus Check Scams
Jim Lee, the Head of IRS Criminal Investigation, has noted that although taxpayers have already received multiple rounds of stimulus check payment, there has still been an increase in phishing scams over the summer. The number of scams reported soon reached levels that were unprecedented over the last decade.
More than ever, it has become important for taxpayers to protect their vital information and not let it fall to the scammers, who could do irreparable damage to the information.
In several cases, the scammers would try to emulate legitimate IRS communications, via email or text messages, which would convince taxpayers to put in their personal information in order to qualify for yet another stimulus check. Some of the scams have also promised fast-tracking payments if their victims ended up paying a certain fee. The IRS has asked people to scrutinize every email and text message carefully. For, they are likely to include errors in capitalization, and grammar.
The IRS has also advised people from clicking on shortened links since it could very well lead to fake online websites, claiming to be a portal to another stimulus check.
