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The IRS has warned people to be aware of scams tied to federal stimulus checks. The announcement came after the agency’s Criminal Investigation unit received a record number of reports in June and July. The IRS is cautioning recipients of COVID-19 relief payments about a recent rise in phishing scams. The head of the Criminal Investigation Division of IRS, Jim Lee said, “Even though taxpayers have received multiple rounds of Economic Impact Payments, we saw phishing scams surge this summer. The number of reported scam attempts reached levels we haven’t seen in more than a decade. More than ever, it is important for taxpayers to continue to protect their personal information and not fall victim to these scams”. The scammers try to trick into giving out their personal details or submitting a payment via communications.

They attempt to mirror legitimate ones from the IRS, including through text messages and email. The IRS said that one recent reported scam involves taxpayers being sent texts indicating they qualify for a stimulus payment and that to claim it; they must click on a link and fill out the information. The scammers sent out phishing emails claiming the IRS had calculated the person’s fiscal activity and determined they were eligible for a stimulus check. To help taxpayers avoid falling prey to such scams, the IRS reminds everyone that it doesn’t send out unsolicited text messages or emails. The agency also doesn’t demand taxes be paid through gift cards of cryptocurrency. Those who receive an unsolicited text or email that purports to be from the IRS are urged to look out for grammatical, capitalization, and spelling errors are indicators of fraud.

The IRS said people should be cautious when clicking on shortened links, as those can lead to fake online sites. Anyone who suspects they have received a phishing attempt from an IRS-related correspondence is asked to forward the message to phishing@irs.gov. Individuals who believe they are the victim of fraud or theft as it relates to their economic impact payment should report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, which can be done online at TIPS.TIGTA.GOV. Scams seeking to bilk unsuspecting taxpayers out of their stimulus checks have been an issue since the IRS started depositing the first of three federal coronavirus relief payments back in April 2020. A report from IBM said, “Many of these emails aimed at stealing the IRS checks”.