Beware Of Stimulus Check Scammers, Police Warn

ROSS TOWNSHIP, PA - With most adult Americans about to receive an economic stimulus payment of $1,200 or more in the coming weeks, police are warning people to be aware of scammers attempting to defraud people.

According to Ross police, scams that have been reported involve crooks promising to expedite
payment in exchange for a fee, impersonating a government official, and requesting sensitive personal information in order to process a check.

Police caution that anyone who emails, texts, messages, or calls you claiming to be able to expedite your stimulus check is a scammer. Also, anyone ewho contacts you requesting sensitive information like PayPal account details, bank account information, or credit card numbers is
trying to scam you.

Inaccurate social media posts have circulated suggesting that consumers need to fill out the 2020 Census before they can receive a stimulus check. Your answers to the census, and whether you’ve completed it, have no impact on your eligibility for a stimulus check.

The stimulus checks will be deposited automatically by direct deposit into consumers’ bank accounts for the vast majority of citizens who filed their taxes last year. Consumers without a bank account on record with the IRS will receive a paper check, but it may take several weeks
longer to arrive than those who have bank accounts.