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The IRS is warning Americans of a national rash of scams and phishing schemes being perpetrated by criminals looking to capitalize on coronavirus fear and federal stimulus payments.
Photo: Jenny Kane, APThe IRS is warning Americans of a national rash of scams and phishing schemes being perpetrated by criminals looking to capitalize on coronavirus fear and federal stimulus payments.
The IRS is warning Americans of a national rash of scams and phishing schemes being perpetrated by criminals looking to capitalize on coronavirus fear and federal stimulus payments.
The IRS is warning Americans of a national rash of scams and phishing schemes being perpetrated by criminals looking to capitalize on coronavirus fear and federal stimulus payments.
Criminals are using the novel coronavirus pandemic to steal vulnerable populations' identities and money through stimulus payment schemes and other COVID-19-related scams, including fake cures and vaccines, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
Over the last few months, the IRS has seen a variety of scams related to the Economic Impact Payments millions of Americans are still waiting to receive, according to a June 8 news release.
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"Criminals seize on every opportunity to exploit bad situations, and this pandemic is no exception," IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in the release. "The IRS is fully focused on protecting Americans while delivering Economic Impact Payments in record time. The pursuit of those who participate in COVID-19 related scams, intentionally abusing the programs intended to help millions of Americans during these uncertain times, will long remain a significant priority of both the IRS and IRS-CI.”
Other scams being reported include people selling fake at-home test kits, COVID-19 cures, vaccines, pills and medical supplies via online forums; fake charities requesting donations for people affected by COVID-19 and offers known as "research reports" to invest in fake companies working to develop a vaccine.
Phishing schemes via emails, letters, texts and website links that are sent to large numbers of people to get personal and financial information are also increasing. According to the IRS, "most of these new schemes are actively playing on the fear and unknown of the virus and the stimulus payments."
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Officials with the IRS said these scams are being investigated across the globe since the pandemic is a global health crisis and vulnerable populations everywhere are at risk.
Anyone who spots or becomes victim to a COVID-19-related scam should report it to the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or submit an NCDF Web Complaint Form. Fraud or theft of a stimulus payment can be reported to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) online at TIPS.TIGTA.GOV. Phishing attempts may be reported to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov or the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS).
Rebecca Hennes covers community news. Read her on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | rebecca.hennes@chron.com
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June 11, 2020 at 12:00AM
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IRS warns against COVID-19 schemes, stimulus payment scams - Chron
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