Under the CARES Act, the federal government will provide stimulus checks (i.e., economic impact payments) under these general guidelines (some exceptions apply):

• $1,200 payment to individual taxpayers making under $75,000.
• $2,400 payment for married couples filing jointly making under $150,000 combined.
• An additional $500 per qualifying child under the age of 17.

The Cuyahoga County Department of Consumer Affairs continues to warn county residents that scammers are exploiting news of $1,200 Coronavirus stimulus payments.

Knowing the following information can help you avoid losing money or personal information to a stimulus check scam:

• You don’t have to sign up to receive a stimulus payment. Most taxpayers will get direct deposit or mailed payments based on past tax returns.
• You never have to pay money or reveal banking information to receive or qualify for stimulus payments.
• Don’t respond to robocalls about stimulus checks – these are not from the government.
• Never give out bank information or sensitive information to someone who calls or emails you.
• No one can help you receive a stimulus payment faster. Details continue to be worked out by the IRS.
• Be suspicious of emails or texts that claim to be about stimulus payments. Don’t click on the links, because they could contain malware that will damage your computer or capture you account numbers and passwords.
• Don’t respond to or share social media posts about stimulus payments unless you verify the information is from a legitimate source and is accurate. Scammers are active on social media and their posts can contain misinformation or malware.

If you encounter a stimulus scam, report it to the Cuyahoga County Scam Squad by calling 216-443-SCAM (7226) or using the Report-A-Scam form. Reports are shared with Scam Squad’s enforcement partners and can help others.

The IRS has posted a What You Need to Know page about the stimulus payments.

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