Prosecutors to crack down on stimulus payment scams
Officials urge Virginians to ‘please be vigilant’
Fraudsters are eager to get their hands on people’s stimulus payments being sent out to Americans, Virginia’s top federal prosecutors say.
This week, the U.S. Treasury Department has begun sending out some 80 million paper checks and debit cards to Americans who don’t have banking information filed with the IRS.
It’s an “unprecedented” U.S. Postal Service operation, federal prosecutors say.
“Please be vigilant,” U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger of the Eastern District of Virginia, said in a statement. “Fraudsters frequently prey upon vulnerable individuals during difficult times.”
The Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force — which began in March between the FBI, Virginia State Police and U.S. Attorney’s Office — says reports are coming in. Victims have gotten phone calls, text messages, emails and email links from scammers trying to steal personal information and “swindle you out of your economic impact payment.”
These “phishing schemes,” as they are called, often attempt to deceive people by using keywords such as Coronavirus, COVID-19 and Stimulus. They often try to trick victims by telling their that their stimulus payment needs to be confirmed.
“These payments do not need to be confirmed, authorized or activated,” added U.S. Attorney Tom Cullen of the state’s Western District.
“You should assume that any unsolicited calls or emails from individuals or entities who claim to be associated with the IRS are fraudulent,” he said.
The task force advises people to “simply hang up” on callers who ask for identifying information — even if they purport to be from the IRS or other agencies. Unsolicited messages asking for personal information should likewise be deleted.
The paper checks being sent out this week are sure to lead to even more schemes, scams and flimflams, the feds say.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office vowed to protect the public “as criminals attempt to exploit these ... smailings for their own greed.”
Cullen said mail theft, mail tampering and other crimes will be strongly pursued. The stimulus payments must be delivered “safely” to the citizens, he said, and prosecutors “will go after those who interfere with those efforts.”
The IRS launched two tools regarding the stimulus payments on its
IRS.gov home page.
One allows those who don’t typically file a tax return to register to get one. Another — called “Get My Payment” — enables people to check the status of their payment, including when it’s supposed to arrive.
“We are prepared to protect our employees, our customers, and the U.S. Mail from criminals who are looking to take advantage of our nation during the Coronavirus pandemic,” said Peter Rendina, who heads up the Washington, D.C., division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
“We are prepared to protect our employees, our customers, and the U.S. Mail from criminals who are looking to take advantage of our nation during the Coronavirus pandemic.”
— Peter Rendina, who heads up the Washington, D.C., division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.