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Be wary anytime someone you don’t know contacts you.
Key points
- The IRS will never cold call, email you, or text you.
- Scammers are smooth. The goal is to con you out of personal information and steal your identity.
- If a scammer fails to steal your identity, they will attempt to take your money.
Scammers are the worst. Rather than take steps to earn money legitimately, they prey on unsuspecting people. And here’s the thing about scammers: They’re always there, waiting for the next opportunity to manipulate. They’re like rats, hiding in a corner, waiting for someone to drop a piece of bread.
When the first stimulus checks went out in 2020, scammers had a heyday. They dedicated themselves to sending emails, making calls, texting, and otherwise reaching out to those due stimulus funds. Within months of the first checks hitting bank accounts, Americans had lost over $211 million to COVID-related scams.
Between rounds of stimulus checks, scammers slowed down. But now that the IRS believes that an estimated 9 million Americans have not received stimulus payments, you can bet those scammers will be back out in force.
If you or someone you love are among the 9 million due money, here are some of the more common red flags to be on the lookout for.
Technology has made it easy for scammers to pretend to be someone else. In this case, they’re…
