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.
Zoe Sagalow covers tax and retirement issues for Financial Planning, bringing a decade of experience in financial policy and regulatory reporting to coverage that keeps advisors current on the rules shaping client strategy.
Before joining Financial Planning, Zoe's policy reporting spanned banking at S&P Global Market Intelligence, insurance at CQ Roll Call, and tax at Tax Notes Today. In 2025, she and her team at S&P Global won a Regional Bronze Award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for Online Industry News Coverage.
As a Capital News Service reporter, Zoe was part of a team investigating nursing home discharge practices in Maryland; their series, "Discharging Trouble," was an IRE Award finalist and won two first-place MDDC Press Association awards. The investigation prompted a lawsuit from the Maryland Attorney General against the nursing home operator that ultimately led to a $2.2 million settlement and barred the company from operating nursing facilities in the state.
Zoe holds a Bachelor of Science in business and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Based in the Washington, D.C., area, she spends her off hours backyard birdwatching and teaching herself piano.
Connect with Zoe on LinkedIn or reach her at zoe.sagalow@financial-planning.com.
“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.
