CHARLOTTE — Remember stimulus checks? Feels like ancient history. Well, Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke says to watch out for scammers pretending to be with the Internal Revenue Service saying you’re eligible for more of that money now.
Multiple consumers showed him texts they got, saying it’s the IRS, that you’re eligible for a $1,400 Economic Impact Payment, and that all you need to do is provide “accurate personal information.” It’s phishing to get your personal information.
Yes, it sounds so 2020 or ‘21. But don’t roll your eyes. It’s not as bizarre as it seems.
Here’s the back story: The real IRS has announced it is sending certain taxpayers money, people who didn’t claim the “Recovery Rebate Credit” on their 2021 tax returns. That’s why the con artists are running this scheme these days.
“These attackers, they blast text messages to as many phone numbers as they can. So it’s totally a numbers game,” said Truman Kain of the cyber security firm Huntress. “They’re blasting them out, hoping that someone clicks. I’m telling you, you do not want to be one of those people.”
The Better Business Bureau issued an alert, letting people know the most important thing in this case. “It’s going to be done automatically. They won’t need to actually do anything. They won’t need to fill out any type of a form,” said the BBB’s Juliana O’Rork.
It’s automatic, so if you’re one of the people with money coming your way, you don’t need to do anything. If someone asks you to, that’s a red flag.
Plus, follow taxpayer Perpetua Mirondo’s lead and you’ll avoid other IRS scams too. “I don’t feel [the] IRS could reach out to me via text. I don’t believe that,” she said. And she’s right. The IRS typically uses mail.
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