‘We tend to be a hotbed’: IRS sees increase in scam attempts in Florida amid stimulus payments

With the pandemic continuing and the likelihood high of more stimulus money going out, the IRS has a warning about criminals targeting that money.

In the last several months, the IRS has seen a large number of scams from people trying to steal those stimulus payments.

With the last two rounds of stimulus checks, IRS Criminal Investigation officials have seen widespread fraud, with criminals targeting people for their payments. And they believe Florida residents will be a key target for crooks this time around.

READ: House committee approves $1,400 direct payment as stimulus bill moves toward House vote

“Unfortunately, we tend to be a hotbed,” said Ryan Thompson, an IRS Criminal Investigation supervisory special agent. “I think there’s a couple of reasons for that. We tend to see these sort of victims be, unfortunately, some of our senior citizens.”

Many of the crimes are phishing scams that involved sending emails or text messages, or even old-fashioned letters that appear to be from the IRS.

Scammmers might use key words like “COVID-19,” “coronavirus” or “stimulus” in various ways, and ask for personal information, money back or account information as a way to steal your identity, get access to your checking account or even wipe out your bank account.

READ: ‘I was devastated’: Mobile payment app scammers drain local consumers’ accounts

Cox Media Group