Contacts:
Miranda Kortan: (216) 698-2546; mkortan@cuyahogacounty.us 


CUYAHOGA COUNTY, OH - The Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs warns residents to brace themselves for a new round of scams related to stimulus payments.

The newly approved federal Coronavirus relief payments, popularly known as stimulus payments, are sent automatically, and the amounts are predetermined. People do not need to take action to receive these funds.

“Scammers are already adept at twisting stimulus headlines to trick people into paying or revealing private information,” said Sheryl Harris, Director of the Department of Consumer Affairs. “County residents should resolve now to ignore calls, texts and emails about stimulus payments or fraud – no matter how convincing they sound.”

To protect yourself from scams:

• Do not respond to emails, texts, or calls about stimulus payments or fraud. Be careful not to click on emailed or texted links, because they may contain malware.
• Never give your Social Security number, banking information or payments to someone who contacts you.
• Hang up on any caller who tells you that you’re in trouble with the law because of Social Security or stimulus fraud. The IRS, Social Security Administration and law enforcement never contact citizens by phone, text, or email, nor do they ever shake people down for SSNs or payments.

“Interacting with scam callers – even to ask them to stop – only triggers more scam calls to your number,” Harris said. “Use Caller ID and voicemail to dodge scam calls.”

In the coming weeks, the IRS is expected to post updated information on the latest stimulus payments at irs.gov.

Cuyahoga County residents who encounter a stimulus or other scam should contact the Scam Squad at 216-443-SCAM (7226) or use the Report-A-Scam form at consumeraffairs.cuyahogacounty.us.