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.
Shelly is a Managing Director in BMO Capital Markets where she leads a global team responsible for the first line of defense including Trade Floor Supervision, Business Unit Compliance, AML Operational Risk & Resilience, Crisis Management, Algorithm & Automation Risk, and ESG Risk. The mandate includes preventing loss due to failure in process, people and systems and ensuring the execution of trading and investment banking businesses in compliance with applicable regulations.
In addition, she is focused on integrating data with machine learning and AI to enhance the way we work and make decisions and to focus on real versus perceived risk. She leverages similar technology applied in a different way to design process and organizational efficiencies, influencing across the organization.
Previously, Shelly was the COO for BMO's US Trading business. She has over 25 years of experience across industries. Prior to joining BMO, she was a global COO at Barclays. She has a unique blend of experience in sell-side M&A, corporate infrastructure, risk and in leading large scale regulatory and business transformations.
Shelly earned an MBA from Columbia Business School, an MS from Johns Hopkins University, and a BS from Penn State University. She holds FINRA Series 7 and 63 licenses. She has regulated and non-profit board experience and currently sits on the board of BMO Europe PLC and BMO Harris Investment Co.
She enjoys hiking, fishing, singing, playing guitar and sports.
Deb Franklin is the co-CEO of PEAK6 InsurTech, the insurance operations and technology subsidiary of PEAK6. PEAK6 uses technology to find a better way of doing things. The company’s first tech-based solution was developed in 1997 to optimize options trading and, over the past two decades, the same formula has been used across a range of industries, asset classes and business stages to consistently deliver superior results. Today, PEAK6 seeks transformational opportunities to provide capital and strategic support to entrepreneurs and forward-thinking businesses, helping to unlock potential and activate what is into what ought to be.
Eric Rosenbloom, CLTC, ChFC®, is Vice President, Wealth Services at Alera Group Wealth Services. For over 30 years, he has counseled individuals, families and businesses about long-term care and how to create and implement customized financial strategies to help enhance and protect their financial security.
“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.
