Consumer Alert: Stimulus Check Scam

COLORADO SPRINGS – Scam artists are using the possibility of more economic stumulus checks–and the name of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)–as a new way to steal your identity.

The scam is an E-mail notifying you that you qualify for a check. An enclosed link requests your social security number if you want to know whenthe check will be delivered. However, the IRS does not initiate contact by E-mail. If the address bar on your computer does not contain irs.gov, the sitelikely is a “phishing” site designed to steal personal information.

The Better Business Bureau suggests that you delete the message if you receive it, and don’t open it at all. You can report the message to the BBB, the IRS or the Federal Trade Commission. However, because the site operators often work outside the U.S. and switch sites often, they remain difficult to find.

If you become a victim, the BBB asks that you avoid being enbarassed about it, and contact one of the above agencies.