Scammers are on the loose and trying to take advantage of tri-county residents amid the Coronavirus outbreak.
A Lake County Sheriff’s Office employee recently received a scam email about the COVID stimulus checks that will soon be coming from the federal government. The email, shown below, instructs those receiving it to click on a link to fill out a stimulus request form.
It bogusly claims that in order to be considered for approval, the form must be submitted by April 10. It also says the “fastest and easiest” way to receive the stimulus payment is through direct deposit to your checking/savings account and suggests people update their banking information by signing into a user profile.
Clearly this is a scam, as taxpayers don’t need to take any action to receive their checks if they filed their 2018 or 2019 taxes. Direct deposit information or addresses included on those forms will be used. Also, taxpayers aren’t required to fill out any forms to receive the stimulus checks and the Internal Revenue Service doesn’t send out emails seeking banking information. Click HERE for more information from the IRS.
Business owners also have reported receiving correspondence by email and phone calls from scammers claiming to be with the Small Business Administration. The correspondence has loan applications attached, leading the owner to believe that it is part of the process. The SBA has made the process clear and isn’t seeking out applicants. For legitimate information, click HERE.
