Don't Believe The Stimulus Check Scams

It's everywhere you look these days. There is no avoiding it. The word stimulus seems to be jumping out of every webpage or newspaper that I look at. There are so many rumors floating around about what the US government is going to do with this economic stimulus package that it's not even funny. The thing is though, most people are misunderstanding what is actually taking place here.  

Rumors are starting to fly around that the US government will be issuing economic stimulus checks like they did in 2008 to everyone who filed taxes. As of the date that this is being written, that is simply not the case. There is nothing in the works yet that will give individual checks to American citizens. That is not what the 2009 economic stimulus bill is all about. There is a reason that people are believing this rumor though, and I mostly blame unethical advertising practices where people are simply trying to sell their own products. 

One way that people are trying to scam others out of their hard earned money is by trying to say that because of the stimulus package they got a check for some insane amount like $12,000. They show fake pictures of checks and say they just got it from the government. In a lot of cases I have seen, they are trying to sell an information product that supposedly teaches you how to get grants from the government. This has nothing to do with the economic stimulus package but they are just trying to take advantage of the buzz that is being created on the topic of stimulus checks. The fact is though that there are ways to get government grants for different projects but it is a lot harder than they make it out to be. I seriously doubt that this product will do anyone any good for getting government checks. 

In another crazy scam that is floating around, people actually get a check in the mail. But before they can cash the check they have to call in and give out all their personal information. If they do manage to get the check into their bank account, the check will never clear of course. It is a shame that anyone would ever fall for this but it does happen all the time. In this case I think a little common sense goes a long way. If the government was really going to send you out a check, all you would have to do is cash it. There is no number or website for you to go and give up your personal information. Don't you think they have all that already? 

There is some truth to one of the rumors however. The IRS has put something in place where some people who did not get a stimulus check in 2008 may be able to get that check in 2009. This is not an automatic thing like it was in 2008. The only way to get this is if you do the necessary paperwork when you file your income tax return. Your tax professional should be able to answer these questions for you.

Another way to dispell any rumors floating around is simply to go straight to the horses mouth. You can visit the IRS website and get all the facts there. 

So just what is the 2009 economic stimulus package about? It's nowhere near complete and seems to be changing every day. But for the most part it's about granting money to large banks and state governments to give relief and create jobs to stimulate the economy. It will probably be a great thing in the long run but people need to realize that relief will not come quickly. And if you are offered a quick check that sounds fishy, do your due diligence and don't give out any personal information because it is probably a scam.