Scammers Trying to Take Advantage of Stimulus Payments

Wednesday, March 24th, 2021 -- 10:04 AM

(WMTV) As stimulus checks land in people’s bank accounts, the state Better Business Bureau is warning Monday of scams regarding these payments.

The BBB told Wisconsinites to look out for emails or texts that ask you to click a link to “request benefit payments.” The link would then connect to an application telling someone to enter their personal information to “make sure you are getting all the payments owed to you.”

According to a news release, this is a way for scammers to phish for personal information and possibly commit identity theft.  Other scammers are trying a similar scheme, but doing it over the phone.

BBB says the caller will insist on being paid right away, or confirming your personal information before a stimulus check is sent.  In other cases, the BBB says callers will claim extra funding is available or that the recipient can receive funding right away for a “small processing fee.”

None of these are real options and all of them are a scam. The BBB urged people to stay calm in these situations and not to reply immediately.  If someone thinks the message they received is real, find the government agency’s contact information online and reach out to them directly instead.

The organization also advised people to check for look-alike scams, as well as not paying any money for a “free” government grant. A real agency would not ask for an advanced processing fee, the BBB adds.

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