Stimulus Check Scam: Imposters Offer Fake Stimulus Payments Online

While millions of people are looking to get their payments from the first stimulus checks, several online scams have surfaced, feeding on the desperation of the citizens to lure victims. Federal authorities, on Tuesday, talked on their Facebook page about fake stimulus and unemployment assistant.

Surge of scammers

Jeremy Capello, a special agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), said that they have seen a surge of impersonators pretending to be government officials that try to talk about how some people received too much money, as reported by KTNV.

Scammers tell the potential victim that they need to pay the government back which officials stated was not true.

The emails that contained the alleged official statement provided links that officials noted could allow hackers to gain access into their systems or devices.

Officials cautioned people not to provide personal information if they do not know the source. The FBI reassured that they will not contact anyone by email or phone about stimulus payments and will never require someone to pay it back.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation unit had released a statement that wrote the agency had seen a surge of scam attempts that utilized emails, letter, texts, and links. The efforts take advantage of the current crisis by using keywords such as "coronavirus," "COVID-19," and "stimulus" to attract their victims.

Also Read: Stimulus Payments May Be Turned Into 'Digital Dollar' For Easier Distribution

According to Forbes, the perpetrators will attempt to have you pay back the government for an excessive stimulus payment. Other methods include trying to get people to reveal their Social Security Number, bank account, or additional personal information they can use.

The IRS stated they would never contact anyone through conventional communication platforms and reassured they would never ask for personal details regarding a person's Social Security Number.

Malicious websites

Check Point Software, a cybersecurity firm, announced that it had observed a stimulus payment scam that claims to have been sent by the World Health Organization (WHO) and utilizes the subject line "Stimulus Package for you." The scam promises to provide a large sum of money to its target.

Last month, more than 1,200 new stimulus/relief package websites registered their domains, of which, Check Point found 3% to be malicious and 2.5% to be suspicious.

Michael D'Ambrosio, the Secret Service Assistant Director, testified this week where he revealed that frauds relating to the coronavirus pandemic could lead to criminals stealing more than $30 billion in federal relief funds.

Head of Engineering of Check Point, Mark Ostrowski, said that the world is entering the post-COVID era when it comes to cybersecurity. Attackers are finding new ways to invade and gain access to public personal information, he added.

The attempts come after Check Point reported in April of several new website domains registering after the passing of the $2.2 trillion stimulus package, as reported by Fox News.

In the same month, Google observed more than 18 million daily malware and scam emails relating to the coronavirus as well as 240 million daily spam messages that it has seen amid the pandemic.