Greg's Corner

New scam targets families with children

By Greg Collier

Recently, the IRS started issuing payments for the Child Tax Credit to eligible families. Unsurprisingly, this has brought out the scammers who are looking to get their hands on your money. The FBI has issued a warning letting people know that the scammers are out there and looking to steal the payments from families who desperately need it. Here are some tips on how to try to avoid these scams.

Many of these scams are recycled scams from when the stimulus payments were being issued. If your bank account information is already on file with the IRS, you don’t have to do anything to receive your payment. The payment will be sent to you through direct deposit. Anyone who says that you have to sign up for some service to receive your payment is trying to scam you. No one can help you get your payment earlier, either.

Scammers will also pose as the IRS on the phone and try to pressure you into giving up your financial information. They may even threaten you with arrest if you don’t comply with them. Keep in ind that the IRS rarely calls anyone out of the blue, nor do they threaten anyone with arrest. These are the high-pressure tactics of a scammer who is trying to scare you into giving them your information.

The IRS won’t email or text you, either. So if you receive a message asking you to click on a link to receive your payment, it is a scam. More than likely, you’ll be taken to a scam website that looks official that will ask you for your personal and financial information. If you give that information up, it’s almost guaranteed that your money will end up in the hands of a scammer.

If you feel like you have been scammed out of your Child Tax Credit, notify your bank and contact the IRS.