On June 2, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a blog article titled “More money is coming to families…and scammers are ready” to alert consumer of potential scams as they start to receive monthly payments as part of the American Rescue Plan Act. The FTC Warns that:
Only the IRS will be sending these payments. Anyone trying to “help” you get your child tax credit is really after your money.
The government will NEVER call, text, email, or DM you out of the blue, asking for money or information. Keep your money — and your Social Security, bank account, debit and credit card numbers — to yourself.
Nobody legit will ever demand that you pay by gift card, wire transfer through companies like Money Gram or Western Union, or cryptocurrency. That’s a scam, every time.
The full FTC article and warning can be found here.