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.
Jennifer Hui is a Senior BenefitsVIP® Representative at Corporate Synergies, where she draws on her extensive experience in employee benefits and customer support to deliver concierge-level service to plan participants. After earning her degree in Risk Management and Finance from Temple University in 1995, Jennifer launched her career at Independence Blue Cross, where she spent over a decade. She joined Corporate Synergies in 2006, where she continues to serve as a dedicated resource for employees and their dependents navigating their benefit programs.
Michael Podgortsev is a Director of Data & AI Strategy at a technology advisory firm, and a former CTO with 15 years of building data and AI systems that assess and serve customers. He writes about how systems optimized for an 'average' quietly fail the people who don't fit it.
Norm Hudson is CEO and co-founder at Staff Boom. Norm Hudson is an accomplished insurance executive with over two decades of industry expertise, has a proven record in leadership and management. Previously, as principal owner and CEO of Inszone Insurance Services, Norm Hudson led a team across 40 locations, propelling Inszone into the top 100 national insurance agencies. His commitment to an open, transparent, and accountable company culture played a pivotal role in Inszone's success.
With roles such as COO of Confie Seguros and president/CEO of Cost U Less Insurance, Norm demonstrated expertise in strategic leadership, sales optimization, and achieving significant revenue growth. Norm's legacy in the insurance industry is defined by innovation, leadership, and success, notably exemplified in creating Staff Boom to meet industry-specific needs.
“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.
