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SOUTH JORDAN — A South Jordan woman was told there was a problem with her stimulus payment. After becoming suspicious, she called KSL, and consumer investigator Matt Gephardt got on the case.
Martha Moler was nearly a victim of a fraud aimed at stealing her stimulus check.
She received a text that read, “Please respond for acceptance of your stimulus check,” and it had a link for her to click.
“I started to hit it and I thought, ‘No,’” she said.
The stimulus money is being doled out by the U.S. Treasury Department. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Tom Edwards said they’re seeing a spike in scams during the pandemic.
Many are desperate for their stimulus checks, so being told there’s a problem might cause one to panic or act quickly without thinking. That’s what the crooks are banking on.
“These criminals are ready to step in and take advantage of very vulnerable people who are desperate for money and desperate for help,” he said.
His advice for anyone contacted by a fraudster is to stop contact and notify local law enforcement.
Martha didn’t fall for the flim-flam, but decided to call KSL anyway in the hopes that her story would ensure others do not fall victim.
“It’s humanity at its worst when they start to profit from other people’s pain,” she said.
Officials with the U.S. Treasury Department said that if you filed your taxes with direct deposit, your money will be deposited automatically. If not, you’ll be getting a paper check in a few weeks. You don’t need to respond to any text messages to make that happen.
There is a website were Americans can track their stimulus payment: irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment.
