BE CAREFUL! – Online schemes made by scammers may try to steal your stimulus check

Everyone should be aware as there are a lot of online schemes made by hackers trying to steal your stimulus checks.

The last stimulus package worth tens of millions of dollars, is getting distribute to people with direct deposits or stimulus checks. This is huge opportunity for the hackers to take advantage of the people and their checks.

One of the most common scams lately discovered is a phone call supposedly from the IRS saying it needs help getting you the money. That is not true.

“The IRS will directly deposit it into your account or send you a check or debit card,” said North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein. “They will not call you and ask for your bank account information or your social security number. If someone does that, they are a criminal and you should hang up.”

The second most common case is by text message. The hackers will usually text you a friendly text usually ending by “Check this out”. According to the latest reports, the process continues with a follow-up text message with a link where you will be asked to put some of your personal information. DON’T DO IT! This is a way the scammers are accessing your information and they can further use them for stealing your stimulus checks.

“Your social security number is the real key that a lot of people want to get into a variety of things,” said Tim Maniscalo of the Better Business Bureau.

To try and combat those stimulus scams the Federal Trade Commission has an online warning about the different kinds of stimulus scams out there.