Text message urging recipients to ‘accept’ $1,200 stimulus check is a scam, IRS says

Scammers are trying to steal your information, and this time they’re using fake COVID-19 stimulus payments to do it, the IRS says.

A text message phishing scam claims that the recipient has received a coronavirus economic impact payment via direct deposit and that they must input their bank account information to retrieve it, the IRS said in a Dec. 8 news release.

The message reads something like this: “You have received a direct deposit of $1,200 from COVID-19 TREAS FUND. Further action is required to accept this payment into your account. Continue here to accept this payment …”

It also includes a link to a fake website.

The IRS said the scam is tricky because it appears to come from a relief organization or state agency. Those who click the link are taken to a fake website that resembles the “get my payment” page on IRS.gov.

Scammers hope you’ll enter your personal and financial information so they can collect it.

“Criminals are relentlessly using COVID-19 and economic impact payments as cover to try to trick taxpayers out of their money or identities,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a Nov. 4 news release. “This scam is a new twist on those we’ve been seeing much of this year. We urge people to remain alert to these types of scams.”

The IRS said it never sends unsolicited texts or emails and never demands payment via wire transfer, pre-paid debit card or gift card. The agency also never threatens to have taxpayers arrested.

If you’ve received a text message claiming you must “accept” a COVID-19 stimulus payment via direct deposit, the agency says to take a screenshot of the message and send it in an email to phishing@irs.gov along with the date, time and time zone you received the message, the phone number it came from and the phone number that received the message.

Those who believe they’re still eligible for an economic impact payment, should got directly to IRS.gov, the agency said.

After Congress passed the CARES Act, the first round of stimulus checks went out to Americans in April. Most single adults received $1,200 and most married couples filing jointly received $2,400. Taxpayers also received $500 per minor dependent.

Lawmakers have since worked to get another payment off the ground but haven’t been able to reach an agreement on a second stimulus bill.

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This story was originally published December 14, 2020 at 6:52 AM with the headline "Text message urging recipients to ‘accept’ $1,200 stimulus check is a scam, IRS says."