Beware of Scammers While You Wait for a Coronavirus Check
The coronavirus outbreak has revolutionized the U.S. economy so much that the president has worked with Congress to write relief checks for many of us. We’ll share the details of this program as soon as they become official, but for now, make sure you haven’t been scammed by a scammer, okay?
Ahead of the government’s anticipated release of incentive checks, the FTC is warning consumers to be wary of anyone who claims they can get you cash quickly. A few practical safety rules from the FTC blog :
1. The government will not require you to pay in advance to receive this money. No fees. No charges whatsoever. There is nothing.
2. The government will not call and ask for your social security number, bank account, or credit card number. Anyone who does this is a scammer.
3. These audit reports have not yet become a reality. Anyone who tells you they can get money right now is a scammer.
You might think this warning is too obvious to you, but think of the people you might want to warn of as a whirlwind of whirlwind financial aid, such as your parents and grandparents, or your elderly neighbors. Maybe your kids who were too young to remember the stimulus checks we got during the recession.
“Look, we usually wait to see what a payment plan looks like before posting a post like this,” wrote Jennifer Leach, Associate Director of Consumer and Business Education. “But these are not normal times. And we predict that scammers are preparing to take advantage of this. “