Stimulus check update: Avoid the $540 monthly Facebook scam; Here’s how!

A Facebook scam is circulating on social media. It promises a stimulus check of “$540/month” to anyone who clicks on it.

The advertisement looks like an IRS homepage and promises that the government provides “health credits” to assist people to pay for groceries and other necessities. It also advises that the offer is only available for a short time.

IRS Issues Warning Against Stimulus Check Scams

While the commercial refers to the American Rescue Plan, which included subsidies to decrease healthcare expenses for 13 million qualifying US people, the ad itself is a hoax. Unless you are an expert on the American Rescue Plan, the ad is likely to convey the impression that it is genuine.

If someone comes across what appears to be a fantastic deal, a decent approach to tell if it is a scam is to look at numerous aspects of the ad. The URL is one thing to double-check. If the link claims to be from the government but redirects to something other than a “.gov” connection, this is a red flag. Also, if the ad is badly written, it is most likely fraudulent.

The easiest way to avoid being scammed is to avoid clicking on suspicious advertising. As the 2022 tax season comes to a close, the IRS issued a warning to taxpayers about phishing and smishing schemes. Phishing is an email sent by fraudsters posing as the IRS or another tax or financial entity, whereas smishing is the same thing but by text messaging.

Read more: Social Security payment: Who is getting a third payment of up to $1,827 today?

How To Avoid Facebook Scams?

There are numerous things you may take to keep yourself safe and avoid becoming a victim. Follow these best practices from within Facebook to avoid fraudsters:

1. Secure your Facebook privacy settings.
2. Set up two-factor authentication.
3. Reject any friend request from someone you don’t know.
4. Ignore texts that request personal information or money.
5. Do not click on any questionable links that are emailed to you.
6. Check your login history on a frequent basis.
7. Make use of a strong password.
8. Shop only from verified brand accounts.
9. Look for accounts in your name on a frequent basis.

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