After the recession, the United States government began pumping money back into the economy. Unfortunately, scam artists have taken advantage of the situation by running advertisements saying they can help you get your hands on some of that stimulus money.
Many people could use a little extra money during a recession, but there are legitimate ways to find help. Here's how to avoid being faked out by stimulus scammers:
1. Don't pay for anything up front. Filling out a form is fine, but making a credit card payment in exchange for some tips on how to lower your mortgage payment, which you could have found through an online search for free, is not.
2. Be patient. The stimulus money will take a while to reach you. Anyone who says they can get you stimulus money, such as tax credits, faster is lying. The money will come straight from the government, and it won't arrive lickety-split simply because the government tends to move slowly.
3. Hang on to your personal information. Scammers often want your precious Social Security number or your bank account number. Giving up those numbers is like giving con men the keys to your kingdom. Besides, the government already has your information through tax forms or through your employer.
4. The IRS doesn't do e-mail. Speaking of tax forms, if you ever receive an e-mail saying that you can get a tax refund if you fill out a form or send your personal information, report it. As anyone who has ever dealt with an audit knows, the IRS can find you whenever it wants to.
5. Beware of mortgage "quick fixes." If you're in a bad mortgage, unfortunately, there is no quick fix. However, scammers have popped up claiming that they can talk to your bank and get you a better loan than you could by yourself. That's not the case. The only person who can modify your home loan is your bank. If you are hoping to modify your home loan, go straight to your lender or to the federal Web site Making Home Affordable.
6. Give grant money the gimlet eye. You may receive e-mails promising stimulus grant money. As any aspiring college student or small business owner can tell you, grants are difficult to get and usually require a drawn-out application process. However, in this case, the application is only long enough for a scammer to get all the information he needs out of you.
7. Report the scammers. Contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP or the Better Business Bureau via its online complaint form.
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You have only to click around the internet to discover one of the many scams that saturate the digital realm. They flood our e-mail inboxes, clutter the job search sites, and assault us with pop-ups that rapidly spawn 4 more of the same nuisances before we manage to close the first one. |
Internet scams are on the rise, and their sole purpose is to separate you from your money or steal your identity. In some cases, Internet scam artists are more interested in stealing your identity than your money. |
