Criminals use every opportunity to try to scam people out of money. With the Advance Payments of the Child Tax Credit going out to eligible taxpayers, the IRS warns people to be aware that thieves may use these payments as bait.
Many people have gotten their advance Child Tax Credit payments this year, but scammers are taking advantage of this new program to try to trick you out of money or information. Be alert to whoever asks you, by phone, email, text – or even on social media, to verify your information so you can get advance Child Tax Credit payments.
Before you respond to anyone who reaches out to you, here are a few things to know.
- The IRS (and other government agencies) will never text, email, or contact you on social media asking for your personal or financial information. But scammers will.
- The IRS does not use robocalls and will not call about something urgent or threatening. The IRS will also not call to ask taxpayers to give or verify financial information to get your Child Tax Credit payments. Anyone who does is a scammer.
- The IRS will never ask for a payment by gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency. The IRS and other government agencies will also never ask you to pay to get financial help. You know who does? Scammers.
If you have any questions, start at irs.gov to get answers. And if someone says they’re from the IRS and contacts you about the Child Tax Credit, report it to the IRS and ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
We also strongly recommend getting a reliable spam blocker. This is the easiest way how to avoid (not only) disaster scam. Learn how to do that. Or get a free spam blocking app for your Android right now.