Coronavirus Scam: Thieves Using Stimulus Checks To Steal Info

NEW YORK — The New York State Division of Consumer Protection (DCP) is warning consumers about scammers taking advantage of those waiting for their stimulus check during the coronavirus pandemic. In light of the current crisis, scammers are sending phishing emails, texts, phone calls and social media to try to steal people's economic impact payments and personal information.

"While much of New York State has been on ‘PAUSE’ in the midst of this unprecedented public health crisis, unscrupulous scammers have been hard at work preying on unsuspecting New Yorkers," Secretary of State Rossana Rosado said. "I urge all New Yorkers to be extra diligent and follow simple steps to keep your money and personal identity safe."

Last month, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) to help people negatively impacted by the current situation. A part of the act, the Economic Impact Payments or stimulus payments, have already started being issued to New Yorkers from the IRS.

Residents are advised that they don’t need to take any action to automatically receive your stimulus payment as long as they filed a 2018 or 2019 tax return and are eligible.

In addition, New Yorkers who or received one of these benefits (unless claiming a qualifying child under age 17) should automatically receive their payments:

• Social Security retirement benefits and survivor benefits
• Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and survivor benefits
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits
• Railroad Retirement and survivor benefits
• Veterans Administration compensation (disability, death benefits etc.) or retirement benefits

While most people will receive their payment automatically, if you otherwise have not filed taxes recently, you may need to submit a simple federal tax return to get your check.

For more information on the Economic Impact Payments, New Yorkers should visit the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance at Economic Impact Payment information: what you need to know or the IRS at Economic Impact Payments.

However, scammers could take advantage of those who might have not receive their stimulus check in order to steal their information. According to New York State Commissioner of Taxation and Finance Michael Schmidt, cyber thieves are asking taxpayers or tax preparers to verify banking information via a phone call or link that goes to a fake website, where unsuspecting victims enter their private information.

Officials have provided tips to help keep your economic impact payment and personal information safe from scammers:

• Rely on trusted sites for information. Visit legitimate, government websites—for up-to-date, fact-based information about COVID-19. Visit the IRS website directly for the latest information on the economic impact payments.
• Remember, the government will never call to ask for your Social Security number, bank account, or credit card number.
• Delete emails asking you for personal information to receive an economic stimulus check. Government agencies are not sending unsolicited emails seeking your private information in order to send you money.
• Avoid clicking on links in unsolicited emails and be wary of email attachments. See Using Caution with Email Attachments and Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Scams for more information.
• Don’t provide personal or banking information. Scammers may ask by phone, email, text or social media for verification of personal and/or banking information saying that the information is needed to receive or speed up your economic impact payment.
• Do not agree to sign over your economic impact payment check. Scammers may ask you to sign over your stimulus payment check to them.
• Be wary of bogus checks. Scammers may mail you a bogus check, perhaps in an odd amount, then tell the taxpayer to call a number or verify information online in order to cash it.
• Do not cash unsolicited checks. Scammers use this tactic to get your bank account information, and you will incur fees when the check is found to be insufficient.
• Be aware that scammers are also able to replicate a government agency’s name and phone number on caller ID. It’s important to remember that the IRS will never ask you for your personal information or threaten your benefits by phone call, email, text or social media.
• Hang up on illegal robocallers. If you receive a call about economic impact payment scams, hang up. Don’t press any numbers. The recording might say that pressing a number will let you speak to a live operator or remove you from their call list, but it might lead to more robocalls, instead.
• Notify the IRS if you are contacted by a potential scammer. If you receive an unsolicited email, text or social media attempt that appears to be from the IRS or an organization associated with the IRS, like the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, notify the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.
• Verify a charity’s authenticity before making donations. Review the Federal Trade Commission’s page on Charity Scams for more information.
• Review CISA Insights on Risk Management for COVID-19 for more information.

"Taxpayers and tax preparers must be especially wary during this unprecedented time," Schmidt said.