Before you get too excited about another wave of stimulus checks...
The great stimulus payment debate continues after billions of dollars in payments have already been sent out. Here's why the IRS is urging you to pay attention to details they have been telling you for years because now more than ever, fraudsters are hiding behind your stimulus check information, making you vulnerable to being breeched.
Here's what you need to know about the risks behind that stimulus check you are either looking forward to getting or are still hunting down.
IRS and Email
The IRS will NOT email you, nor will they include ANY of your personal information within an email. You are opening up the window to fraud if you open an email, click a link or download any attachments that you think are from the IRS. So the 35% of you who believe the IRS is going to email you regarding your Stimulus Check, it won't happen... it's someone phishing.
Malicious Domains and Scammers
There are 40,000 high risk domains related to COVID-19. Of those, 712 are related to stimulus packages and 1 week post stimulus check disbursement, there were 3.5 times the number of sites referring to "stimulus check". Cybercriminals are feeding off your anxiety and the continued hunt for these checks. The only domain you should be using for any information regarding a stimulus check is the IRS official economic impact page. https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment
We understand you are in need of the stimulus money that is being disbursed and you may really be looking forward to the potential of a next round of funding. But please, do not risk your security in efforts to chase funding on sites and in emails. The money exists, it's just not there.