Stimulus Scams: Information from the FTC

I could have told you the minute the U.S. Government announced those $600/person stimulus checks back in 2007: somebody is going to find a way to turn this into a scam.

Boy, was I ever right.

Almost immediately, there was a spate of people using phone calls and email to trick people into revealing personal information. “You have to verify this information to get your check,” the messages said. Of course, if you were eligible for the rebate (i.e., if you had done your taxes for the previous year), the IRS already had this information. Identities were stolen and money was lost.

Then, in 2008, you started hearing about the Economic Stimulus Package. Again, I could have told you what was going to happen. I don’t want to come off as a curmudgeon with statements like, “People never pay any dang attention!” here, but the fact is that an awful lot of people don’t pay enough attention to certain things. They heard the word “stimulus” and immediately assumed that it meant, “I’m’onna get me another check in the mail.”

Once again, the phishing emails and phone calls appeared and a new group of people learned something the hard way. Never mind that, in this context, “Economic Stimulus Package” had nothing to do with rebate checks for individuals.

Well, it’s still happening. Now people are getting letters instructing people to submit personal information in order to access federal stimulus dollars. I hate to be redundant, but everyone needs to understand this: they’re not handing out pocket money to individuals, and there are no “programs” that can be loopholed into doing so. Anybody who contacts you about federal stimulus dollars, whether by mail, email, telephone, fax or two-cans-on-a-string, asking you to fill out forms or submit information of any kind, is attempting to commit fraud.

The FTC has a good article called “Seeing Through Stimulus Scams” that dates back to February 2009, but it’s still relevant reading. There’s also a short video at CNN featuring Clark Howard from just a couple days ago. Check them both out, and please don’t assume that every time the government says “stimulus” it means you’re getting a direct payment.