Stimulus Check Scam

When governments issue one-off stimulus or economic relief payments to the general public, the scale and simplicity of the program, a flat payment going to nearly everyone, makes it an extremely efficient pretext for mass-scale scam messaging. Fraudsters send texts and emails claiming the recipient's stimulus payment is ready, delayed, or requires 'verification' of a bank account, directing them to a phishing link that mimics the official payment portal.

Because these payments are typically issued automatically based on tax records with no application required, any message asking the recipient to click a link, download a form, or provide bank details to 'receive' or 'claim' a stimulus payment is a strong indicator of fraud. Genuine stimulus payment updates are published through official tax authority or treasury websites and status tools, not through unsolicited text links.