This week, another round of direct stimulus payments from the Internal Revenue Service headed to eligible Floridians’ bank accounts and mailboxes as part of a massive COVID-19 relief bill. Ahead of the direct payments, I issued a Consumer Alert about a possible resurgence of stimulus payment scams due to this massive spending package.

Anytime the federal government doles out large sums of money, scammers worldwide will try to exploit the situation.

If you are expecting a stimulus payment, know that:

• The IRS will never call you directly, nor will the IRS send you an unsolicited email, text or social media message;
• You will not be required to make a purchase to receive a stimulus check; and
• Solicitations asking you to click a link or provide sensitive information are probably scams.

Be smart. Seek out trusted sources of information about when your payment will be received and never respond to solicitations asking you to provide personal information or payment to receive a stimulus check.

Last December, to highlight potential stimulus payment and COVID-19 related scams and to provide resources for Floridians to share with loved ones, my Scams at a Glance program released two new downloadable brochures detailing information about how to spot common COVID-19 and stimulus scams.

To learn about these types of scams and more consumer protection information, check out Scams at a Glance here.

By guarding against fraud, and reporting scams to my office, you are helping us build a Stronger, Safer Florida.