IRS Get My Payment Scam: Stimulus Check Fraud
Taxpayers can now track their stimulus check, find out how if they have been paid and update their bank direct deposit information to get your stimulus payment as fast as possible with a system called Get My Payment. The Get My Payment tool allows taxpayers to check on the status of their stimulus payments and confirm whether the money is arriving via direct deposit or paper check. They can also enter new bank information if their direct deposit account isn’t on file. But, taxpayers should beware of scam artists who are already contacting innocent Americans by impersonating IRS or Treasury Department officials.
Therefore, taxpayers should only go directly to the IRS Get My Payment system at:
Since Get My Payment collects sensitive information, scam artists may send potential victims links to other fake and phishing websites that impersonate it. And, if potential victims visit the fake websites, their information will be stolen if they attempt to submit it. This why taxpayers should only go to the link above and should ensure that they are not on fake and phishing websites impersonating IRS' Get My Payment website.
IRS Criminal Investigation is actively working to combat these scam artists who are preying on taxpayers who are unaware of how the Economic Impact Payments will reach them. These are people the elderly, those with less education and those who aren’t tech-savvy, who are the most likely to fall victim to some of these scams and are also the most likely to need the money.
Also, cybercriminals could purchase identity information on the dark web and then use it to falsely claim stimulus payments, directing the funding to their own bank accounts.
Right now, due to how vulnerable the population is, it's really prime picking for fraudsters to come out in full force. The Federal Trade Commission is reporting more than $13 million in fraud loss due to COVID-1 and that will increase exponentially because of stimulus payment scams.
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Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.