Government aid in connection with coronavirus: Americans are warned about fraud

The US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) urged taxpayers to take a closer look, as the number of attempted phishing and other types of fraud has increased due to coronavirus. In particular, fraudsters have often begun to pretend to be the government agencies that are responsible for sending financial assistance in connection with the coronavirus. This was reported on the official website. IRS.

Photo: Shutterstock

“We urge people to take extra care during this period. The IRS is not going to call you asking you to verify or provide your financial information so you can get a payment from the government faster due to the coronavirus crisis, said IRS spokesman Chuck Rettig. - This also applies to unexpected emails that appear to be from the IRS. Remember, do not open them or click on attachments or links. For the latest information, go to IRS.gov.”

Taxpayers should be careful not only with emails, but also with text messages, websites and social media posts that ask for money or personal information.

“Criminals take every opportunity to commit fraud against unsuspecting victims, especially when people are vulnerable or in a state of need,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Chief Don Fort. — While you are waiting for information about payments from the government, criminals are making every effort to deceive you. The IRS Criminal Investigation Division is working diligently to find these scammers and arrest them, but in the meantime, we ask people to be vigilant."

How to avoid becoming a victim of fraudsters

The IRS and its Criminal Investigation Division have witnessed a wave of new and developing phishing schemes against taxpayers. In most cases, payments from the government will go to direct deposit accounts previously provided by the Americans in tax returns. Those taxpayers who filed returns without specifying their bank accounts will be able to provide their banking information online on a special government portal, which is still under development and will be launched in mid-April. If the IRS does not have information about the taxpayer’s direct account, then he will send federal assistance in connection with the coronavirus in the form of a check to the address indicated in the taxpayer’s latest tax return. You should not share your banking information with others who allegedly enter it into the IRS database for you.

On the subject: The threat of the era of coronavirus: how to protect credit card data when shopping online

The IRS is also reminding retirees, who usually don't have to file a tax return, that no action is required on their part to receive the $1200 payment. Elderly people should be especially careful during this period. The IRS reminds retirees, including recipients of Forms SSA-1099 and RRB-1099, that no one from the agency will contact them by telephone, email, mail or in person requesting any information to make a payment from the government. The IRS will automatically send retirees $1200—no additional action or information is required to receive it.

The IRS reminds taxpayers that scammers can:

• use the words Stimulus Check or Stimulus Payment. At the same time, the official term for government payments is economic impact payment;
• ask the taxpayer to forward the check from the government to another person (under different pretexts);
• ask by phone, e-mail, SMS or social networks to verify personal or banking information, saying that this information is necessary to receive or expedite the receipt of money from the government;
• reassure the victim that someone else can get a tax refund or payment from the government faster because he is working with a taxpayer. This scam can be conducted on social networks or even in person;
• send a fake check to the taxpayer, possibly for a large amount, then say that the taxpayer needs to call some number or indicate his information on some website in order to cash it.

Reporting Coronavirus-related or Other Phishing Attempts

Anyone who has received emails, text messages, social media messages, or other attempts by scammers to steal their identity under the guise of the IRS or Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) should forward all information from the scammers to [email protected].

Taxpayers are advised not to get in touch with scammers online or by phone. Learn more about reporting potential scams at Report Phishing and Online Fraud at IRS.gov.

Official IRS Information on pandemic payments can be found on the site IRS.gov. The page refreshes when new information appears.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Fakes about coronavirus and not only: why do we believe false information

Why do people in quarantine watch disaster films and how does this affect the psyche

The threat of the era of coronavirus: how to protect credit card data when shopping online

Research: can warming defeat coronavirus

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.