A.G. Gancarski
Federal stimulus funds are dropping into Floridians’ bank accounts, and the Attorney General notes scammers aren’t far behind.
AG Ashley Moody, in an attempt to ensure that Floridians get the money Washington is giving them, urges people to “be suspicious” of unsolicited offers.
“Two trillion dollars are being pumped into the U.S. economy as millions of Americans are losing jobs. Commerce has drastically slowed in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19. Anytime a government offers financial relief to individuals or businesses,” Moody notes, “scammers will devise schemes to steal as much of it as possible.”
Moody wants “Floridians to keep their guard up as the federal government begins to disseminate these individual payments.”
“Stay up to date about how and when you might receive your stimulus payment and be suspicious of anyone requesting personal or financial information in exchange for an expedited deposit,” Moody said.
The Attorney General’s office notes that “Floridians who already provided banking information to the IRS by virtue of filing their taxes have now begun to receive direct deposits and DO NOT NEED to take action.”
The first checks to Americans who qualify — up to $1,200 for eligible individuals or $2,400 for people married and filing taxes jointly — are being directly deposited into bank accounts of tax filers who have submitted bank information to the Internal Revenue Service.
“#IRS deposited the first Economic Impact Payments into taxpayers’ bank accounts today. We know many people are anxious to get their payments; we’ll continue issuing them as fast as we can,” the IRS tweeted Saturday.
The Internal Revenue Service will send out “confirmation notices.” If one gets a notice but did not get money, it is incumbent on them to take action down the road.
Moody advised people to learn when they could receive payments and to be suspicious of anyone requesting personal information in exchange for expedited payments.
“The IRS will not initiate contact with tax filers by email, text messages or social media to request personal or financial information,” Moody said.
The one-time checks could be weeks or months away for people who didn’t set up direct-deposit accounts with the IRS.
The plea to Floridians to resist scammers is the latest attempt by Moody to maintain law and order via press release, as the traditional strictures of society seemingly fray in the coronavirus crisis.
Last week, Moody appealed to retailers to stop hoarding by Florida consumers, urging retailers to continue to impose per-item caps on what consumers can buy.
The AG sent a letter to FRF members Tuesday urging rationing to maintain a “constant, reliable supply” of high-demand items, including but not limited to toilet paper and cleaning products.
___
The News Service of Florida contributed to this post.
