IRS issues warning about Coronavirus-related scams; watch out for schemes tied to economic impact payments

IR-2020-64, April 2, 2020

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today urged taxpayers to be on the lookout for a surge of calls and email phishing attempts about the Coronavirus, or COVID-19. These contacts can lead to tax-related fraud and identity theft.

The IRS reminds taxpayers that scammers may:

• Emphasize the words "Stimulus Check" or "Stimulus Payment." The official term is economic impact payment.

• Ask the taxpayer to sign over their economic impact payment check to them.

• Ask by phone, email, text or social media for verification of personal and/or banking information saying that the information is needed to receive or speed up their economic impact payment.

• Suggest that they can get a tax refund or economic impact payment faster by working on the taxpayer's behalf. This scam could be conducted by social media or even in person.

• Mail the taxpayer a bogus check, perhaps in an odd amount, then tell the taxpayer to call a number or verify information online in order to cash it.