The Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division issued a warning Thursday about a new wave of COVID-19 scams tied to the latest round of stimulus payments, especially targeting taxpayers in the District of Columbia.
The warning comes amid heightened tension in Washington after a riot last week at the Capitol that left five people dead and scores of people injured and led to an unprecedented second impeachment of President Trump on Wednesday. Washington is also bracing for possible protests next week around the time of the inauguration of President-elect Biden. National Guard troops have amassed at the Capitol to protect it.
The new COVID-19 scams echo some of the same schemes seen last year when the previous round of Economic Impact Payments was sent to taxpayers. However, in the last several months, the IRS’s CI unit said it has seen a variety of EIP scams and other financial schemes with the goal of stealing money and personal information from taxpayers. Criminals are taking advantage of the second EIP round, along with the impending tax-filing season, to trick honest taxpayers out of their money.
Michael S. Grant leads the Employee Benefits Services unit for Crystal & Company as Executive Managing Director. This department provides brokerage and consulting services in Group Benefits, Executive Benefits and Retirement Services, and HR Operations Support, working collaboratively with clients across all industries to provide customized solutions for business and human capital needs.
Grant is an accomplished executive and client-focused business leader with more than 25 years of industry experience. Before joining Crystal & Company, Grant was President, Employee Benefits for a national brokerage in New York, where he was accountable for all facets of insurance brokerage operations, including sales and client retention programs. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President, Commercial Sales and Account Management for United HealthCare and MetraHealth, the combined Medical entity of MetLife and Travelers. In this role, he directed a team that served the full spectrum of clients from two to 10,000 employees, including many Fortune 500 and multi-site companies.
Grant earned his undergraduate degree from Boston College's School of Management and his Masters in Business Administration from Fordham University. Among the many honors and distinctions he has received, Grant was named one of the top business leaders living on Long Island by Long Island Business News.
Grant serves as a board member and active supporter of various religious organizations, including St. Ignatius Retreat House, Sisters of Charity Halifax, Dominican Village, the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, and Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation.
Pawlowski, LCPC, CEAP, SAP, is vice president of adminstration at CuraLinc Healthcare.
Michael Jabbbara is director of digital development markets for Visa.
“IRS-CI wants to make sure all residents of the District are aware of the potential scams to help prevent them from becoming victimized,” said Kelly R. Jackson, special agent in charge of IRS-CI's Washington, D.C., Field Office, in a statement. “Please stay vigilant of potential scammers looking to steal your personal information and your money.”
Some of the common COVID-19 scams seen by IRS-CI agents include:
- Text messages asking taxpayers to disclose bank account information under the guise of receiving the $1,200 EIPs;
- Phishing scams using email, letters and social media messages with key words such as “coronavirus,” “COVID-19” and “stimulus” in different ways — these communications are sent to large numbers of people and aim to access personally identifying information and financial account information (including account numbers and passwords);
- The organized and unofficial sale of fake at-home COVID-19 test kits (along with offers to sell fake cures, vaccines, pills and professional medical advice regarding unproven COVID-19 treatments);
- Fake donation requests for individuals, groups and areas heavily affected by COVID-19;
- Bogus opportunities to invest in companies developing COVID-19 vaccines while promising that the “company” will dramatically increase in value as a result.
Taxpayers who get unsolicited emails or social media attempts to gather information that appear to be from either the IRS or an organization closely linked to the IRS should forward the message to phishing@irs.gov. The IRS is encouraging them not to communicate with potential scammers online or over the phone.
