Coronavirus scams so bad the IRS, Secret Service and FTC are issuing warnings
People are handling the coronavirus outbreak in different ways. While most of us are trying to do the right thing by social distancing and helping flatten the curve, others are taking advantage of the pandemic to rip people off.
The FTC already warned of COVID-19 related scams making the rounds like fake charities and shady businesses accepting payments online for high-demand products without actually shipping the orders. Tap or click here for details.
Unfortunately, it appears things are getting worse. The IRS just issued a dire warning about a new scheme that is so convincing it could fool almost anyone.
Scammers targeting stimulus payments
The coronavirus pandemic has hit the U.S. economy and most of our bank accounts extremely hard. By now you’ve heard about the economic stimulus package signed into law.
Last week, to save the economy from spiraling further out of control, President Trump signed a new coronavirus relief bill into law that offers immediate financial relief to individuals and businesses affected by the pandemic.
As a result, many Americans will receive a stimulus payment of up to $1,200. Tap or click here for 4 things you need to know about your check.
Now, scammers are using stimulus payments as part of an elaborate scheme to rip you off. The IRS is urging taxpayers to be on the lookout for phone calls and email phishing attempts about the coronavirus, or COVID-19. These contacts can result in tax-related fraud and identity theft.
In an alert, the IRS said:
“We urge people to take extra care during this period. The IRS isn’t going to call you asking to verify or provide your financial information so you can get an economic impact payment or your refund faster. That also applies to surprise emails that appear to be coming from the IRS. Remember, don’t open them or click on attachments or links. Go to IRS.gov for the most up-to-date information.”
RELATED: The one video about coronavirus everyone needs to watch
Not only should you watch for emails but also text messages, websites and social media posts that request money or personal information.
If you have a D-Link or Linksys router, you’ve probably been hacked
Millions of Americans are pitching in to help flatten the curve and slow the spread of this coronavirus pandemic. One of the best ways to do this is when you can stay home, stay home.
All this extra time at home means our internet usage has surged, leading to fears that we’ll use too much bandwidth and cause networks to crash. The good news is there are ways to avoid this. Tap or click here for ways to fix internet streaming issues.
Insider trick to get help from Amazon when you need it - and not get scammed
If you’ve ever tried to contact Amazon’s customer service, you know how tricky it can be. The company doesn’t do a great job of promoting its phone number, so you end up clicking from page to page trying to find it.
Instead of dealing with this frustration, many people try to Google it. Bad idea! As we’ve seen in the past, doing an online search for things like customer service numbers or tech support can lead you down a bad path. Tap or click here to learn how tech support searches can lead to scams.