KCSO: Want your stimulus check? Scammers do too!

The government is sending out relief checks as part of the federal response to Coronavirus. And scammers and thieves are chomping at the bit to get their hands on your check before you do.

Here are some tips to from the Federal Trade Commission to avoid falling prey:

1. To get your check, you don’t need to do anything. As long as you filed taxes for 2018 and/or 2019, the federal government likely has the information it needs to send you your money. Social Security recipients and railroad retirees who are not required to file a tax return also do not need to do anything to receive their money.

2. Do not give anyone your personal information to “sign-up” for your relief check. There is nothing to sign up for. Anyone calling to ask for your personal information, like your Social Security number, PayPal account, or bank information is a scammer, plain and simple.

3. To set up direct deposit of your check, communicate only with the IRS at irs.gov/coronavirus. And you only need to do this if you didn’t give the IRS your bank information on your 2018 or 2019 return.

--King County Sheriff's Office