Much like the hurricane scams that we’ve talked about before, scammers are already exploiting the new stimulus package with fraudulent sites and offers. Scammers have registered domains like PresidentObamaGrants.com and OfficialStimulusGrants.com and have some very sophisticated-looking offers (and some that are pretty transparent). Many come through email but some have been inserted into otherwise legitimate-looking online advertising.
A few of these scams appear to be targeted at tricking you into giving up your personal information but most seem to be asking for a prepaid “filing fee” or other hidden (and often recurring) charges. CIOonline wrote an in-depth analysis of one such scam. It’s fascinating reading.
The FTC is trying to chase down some of the worst offenders but these sites pop up faster than they can be taken down. As always, be very cautious about what you read on the internet. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
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