The Internal Revenue Service is urging people to watch out for stimulus check scams after a surge this summer.
The IRS said Aug. 30 that it received a record number of reports of scams related to Economic Impact Payments, or COVID-19 stimulus checks, in June and July — including fake emails and texts that convince taxpayers to submit a payment or send their personal information, which “is then exploited by scammers.”
The U.S. government has sent out three rounds of direct coronavirus relief payments to eligible Americans since the start of the pandemic: Up to $1,200 in April 2020, up to $600 in December 2020 and up to $1,400 in March.