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IRS says scammers targeting federal stimulus payments

by Daily Inter Lake
| September 1, 2021 12:00 AM

The IRS says it received a record number of complaints in June and July about scams related to economic impact payments — the federal stimulus checks delivered to Americans throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

"Criminals are relentless in trying to victimize the public and during this pandemic are after your economic impact payments which are intended to help those in need," Andy Tsui, the IRS special agent in charge for Montana, said in a statement. "The IRS will not ask for your personal or financial information through text messages, emails, phone calls, or through social media."

The agency said it had received reports of so-called phishing scams, in which scammers pose as IRS officials to persuade taxpayers to enter personal information or submit a payment. Some people received text messages claiming they were eligible for a "stimulus payment" and they should click on a link in order to receive it. Others received emails claiming the IRS had calculated their "fiscal activity" and they were eligible for payments in a specific amount.

The IRS said the best way to avoid falling victim to a scam is to know how the agency communicates with taxpayers. The IRS does not send unsolicited texts, emails or social media messages. It does not threaten people with jail or lawsuits, nor does it demand tax payments in the form of gift cards or cryptocurrency.

Taxpayers should look out for grammatical, capitalization and spelling errors in emails and texts, which may indicate fraud. They should also be careful when clicking on shortened URLs, which could lead to fraudulent webpages.

Taxpayers can report phishing attempts to phishing@irs.gov. They also can report fraud or theft of their economic impact payments to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at tips.tigta.gov. More information about protecting against fraud can be found at irs.gov.