April 23, 2020
Carson City, NV –
As government relief under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES)
Act rolls out, Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford warns Nevadans to be alert
for scammers looking to steal your personal or financial information. Payments
have already begun to be distributed to individuals who qualify for the
government’s economic impact payments, also referred to as stimulus checks.
“Fraudsters see a new opportunity to use old
tricks to scam individuals and small businesses out of their hard-earned
money,” said AG
Ford. “Be careful before
sharing any personal or account information with anyone you do not know.”
The Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer
Protection offers the following tips for avoiding scams related to the economic
impact payments:
- The Internal Revenue
Service (IRS) will not contact you by phone, email, text message or social
media with information about your individual stimulus payment. The IRS also will
not reach out to you to ask for information such as your Social Security
number, bank account or government benefits information;
- You do not have to
pay a fee to get your stimulus check, nor will paying a fee get you the money
more quickly; and
- The IRS will not
instruct you to deposit your stimulus check and then send the money back
because they sent you more than what is owed.
The government and various non-profits have
also been offering a number of financial resources for small business owners.
As with the economic impact payments, small business owners should be alert for
scams related to these assistance programs:
- The Small Business Administration (SBA) will not initiate
contact with you regarding the loans. If you receive an unsolicited call, it
will not be from someone with the SBA;
- Be wary of anyone requiring payment up front or offering a
high-interest bridge loan while awaiting your SBA loan;
- While in the process of applying for a loan, ensure that any
communications asking for your personally identifying information has your
unique and correct application number;
- SBA limits the fees a broker can charge a borrower to three
percent for loans $50,000 or less and two percent for loans $50,000 to $1
million, with an additional one-quarter percent on amounts more than $1
million. Any attempt to charge more is not appropriate;
- Double-check any information you receive with information on
the SBA’s
website;
and
- Several other grants may be available from non-profit
organizations or for-profit businesses, depending on your industry. Research
the organization or company making the grant offer and educate yourself about
the terms before agreeing to anything.
Details on the federal government’s
resources can be found on the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
website. To find out if you qualify for economic
impact payments or on how you will receive payment, visit the IRS Frequently Asked Questions page. Only use the IRS’s platform to submit information to the IRS.
If you have been victimized by any crime
related to the COVID-19 pandemic, please file a complaint about your
experience to the Attorney General’s Office and the National Center for
Disaster (NCDF) hotline at 1-866-720-5721 or by e-mailing the NCFD at diaster@leo.gov.
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