It has come to our attention that there are a number of new scams regarding stimulus payment processing and phishing campaigns that are using COVID-19 as a lure. Here are some tips to help you avoid being the victim of such scams:
- Be alert for phone scams. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Treasury Department, or any other government agency will not contact you by phone ever. Calls to collect information for stimulus payment processing are scams, hang up.
- Be alert for phishing scams. Government agencies will not email or text you to collect information for stimulus payment processing. Watch for suspicious emails or texts with links or attachments requesting information for processing stimulus deposits or checks. If you receive one, do not click the link or open the attachment. It’s a scam. Delete it.
- Be alert for state-related scams. State agencies will also not call, email or text you to collect information or a fee to process a stimulus payment. To date, no state has introduced their own version of a stimulus payment.
- Don’t click on links or attachments from sources you don’t know. Doing so could download a virus onto your computer or device. Make sure the anti-malware and anti-virus software on your computer is up to date.
- Verify information at the source. If you get an email requesting that you verify your account information, go directly to that company’s website to log in and complete the requested action. Do not click on links within the email to log into your account.
- Contact Onyx Financial if you are unsure. As part of our 360° Wealth Management, we are here to help our clients with any financial question or problem they encounter. If you receive a suspicious call or email and don’t know what to do, give us a call and we will help you determine what, if any action, needs to be taken.
If you got a phishing email, forward it to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@apwg.org. If you got a phishing text message, forward it to SPAM (7726). Report the phishing attack to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint. The information you give can help fight the scammers.