The criminal investigation division of the IRS mentioned that the agency had been receiving a record number of stimulus check scams. Jim Lee, the chief of the criminal investigation division, also mentioned that while most taxpayers had already received multiple rounds of the Economic Impact Payments, there was an increase in phishing scams as well for this summer.
He continued by stating that the number of reported scam attempts reached certain levels that they had never seen previously. Currently, it has become quite important for taxpayers to safeguard their personal information- and not fall victim to scams.
Stimulus Check Payment Scams Have Been On The Rise
Congress, as we all know, had previously authorized around three rounds of stimulus check payments since the coronavirus began. The most recent payment was reestablished by the President of the country in March. As a result, several scammers have decided to take advantage of the situation since it began.
They have tried to trick the taxpayers into providing their financial information. The IRS also mentioned that the recent scams also included text messages that were sent to people. The text messages then directed the individuals to click on links where they had to provide their information to get stimulus payments.
The IRS has always maintained that they never sent taxpayers unsolicited emails and text messages. The department has also never threatened people with jail time or lawsuits- or even demanded payment through gift cards or cryptocurrency to pay for their stimulus check payments.
People who went on to receive such unsolicited emails that appear to be from the IRS have an email id that they can forward it to. Taxpayers can also report these instances of stimulus check payments theft to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
