Understanding the eligibility requirements, how the payments will be made and the new COVID-19 scams cropping up
Sara Flores //April 20, 2020//
Understanding the eligibility requirements, how the payments will be made and the new COVID-19 scams cropping up
Sara Flores //April 20, 2020//
To help those encountering economic hardship due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), President Trump and the U.S. Congress passed a $2 trillion stimulus package, known as the CARES Act. While the distribution timing of the direct payments may vary from area to area, the stimulus package takes effect the week of April 13, 2020.
Many Americans will benefit from a direct payment due to this legislation, but it is critically important that you understand the eligibility requirements, how the payments will be transmitted and the new COVID-19 scams cropping up.
Notably, scammers are taking this opportunity to confuse Americans about the payments, and potentially access their personal information through social engineering and phishing attempts.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will not call you or email you about your stimulus payment. If you are contacted by someone claiming to be the IRS, hang up immediately and notify [email protected].
No action is needed for qualified individuals to receive the direct payment benefit. This is important because scammers will say otherwise.
During this pandemic, cybercriminals began by targeting victims using realistic looking online messages that appeared to come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO) and even your company human resources team. Then, these scams evolved to include COVID-19 insurance, recent air and hotel travel alerts and Health and Human Services malicious map application online messages.
Now, there are new types of coronavirus-related phishing attacks, specifically surrounding economic stimulus checks.
It’s important to be mindful of messages that are looking to upload malware to your device, or to gain access to your device or system login credentials. Key signs of a phishing email are explained below:
During this already challenging time, it’s very important to protect yourself and do your research before clicking links in messages – especially related to COVID-19, the stimulus relief package, charitable donations, product purchases or anything that asks for your personal data.
Sara Flores is the senior vice president and chief information security officer for UMB Financial Corporation, overseeing UMB’s information security and privacy programs.