OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Much needed money is on the way from Washington to your bank account.
But it’s a prime time for scammos to strike.
U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Downing is putting out a call to Oklahomans to watch out.
“They’re gonna take advantage of the situation where Oklahomans are fearful, and they’re in great need,” he said. “We have a very large and swift hammer to bring justice to those people”
While many have already received direct deposit stimulus funds, many more are left waiting for physical checks.
Downing’s department is keeping an eye out for people posing as the IRS, offering ways to receive funds faster.
“They’ll make the person they’re talking to feel like they’re their only chance to get this money,” said Downing. “They’ll be intending to get personal information, social security numbers, addresses, dates of birth; they’ll try to get bank routing numbers, debit card accounts.”
Something else to watch for are fraudulent checks, with weird rules on how to cash.
“If you get a check that’s followed with a request to verify that online, or even to send money back to the sender or to send money forward to someone else, that is a scam,” said Downing.
For more on scams from the IRS, click here.
When receiving IRS emails or texts, look for mispellings and odd looking websites.
It’s important to know that when it comes to this stimulus, the IRS won’t be contacting you at all
“The IRS will not be calling and asking this information,” said Downing. “So, if they’re getting a phone call, email, text message, first red flag, they should know that no one is going to contact them.”
If you beleive you’ve come across a scam, you can sound the alarm by calling the national hotline at (866) 720-5721.
The IRS does offer a website where you can track your stimulus payment, click here for the link.
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