Authorities are warning United States citizens of a recent scam that promises to give out $3,600 stimulus checks to homeowners as several Facebook ads feature pictures of U.S. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and various members of Congress.
The social media ads suggest that Democratic leader Biden and the United States federal government have put into motion a plan to distribute stimulus payments worth $3,600 to homeowners across the country. The photos are similar to ones that were seen during the times when previous financial assistance was provided by the American government.
Stimulus Payment Scam
American citizens became familiar with stimulus check payments in 2020 and 2021 that came directly from the Service of Internal Taxes. However, the U.S. federal government has not announced any plans to distribute $3,600 stimulus payments to American homeowners.
Facebook users who tried to click on the link provided by the ads were taken to websites that were not controlled by the American government. The various websites then directed online users to one central page: GovHomePrograms.com. The website asked visitors to answer a short survey that asked questions about their finances, home equity, and mortgage status, ThakurBlog reported.
The website also asked for the users' names, email addresses, phone numbers, and postal addresses. After completion of the form, a user was then directed to one or more lenders who could potentially help prospective homeowners buy a home or current homeowners refinance a mortgage.
Throughout the ads and the websites that Facebook users were directed to, there were no signs or evidence that users could receive a $3,600 stimulus check from the federal government. The GovHomePrograms.com website's terms of service and privacy policy pages claimed that its parent company was RateMarketplace.com. Documentation also showed that Plateau Data Services LLC.
Warning to Americans
Three Facebook pages, Wise American Solution, Clever American Choices, and Out Best American Life, had spent nearly $66,000 in less than 30 days to promote the ads as of Dec. 7, 2021. All of the Facebook pages and the websites that users were directed to by the ads were all relatively new and created in November 2021, Snopes reported.
Sometime later, Clever American Choices was "deleted" after it allegedly violated Facebook's advertising policies. Between Nov. 21 and Dec. 7, the page had spent at least $45,209 on Facebook ads that suggested the $3,600 stimulus checks.
One of the Facebook ads took users to a page where a message was placed at the bottom saying, "This is an advertorial and not an actual news article, blog, or consumer protection update."
The situation comes as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is warning Americans to be aware of possible scams by cybercriminals. The number of fraudulent attempts includes taking advantage of the Advance Child Tax Credit payments.
Criminals are trying to fool desperate and struggling American taxpayers into lowering their guard and revealing their personal information at the slightest chance of receiving financial assistance amid the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, AS English reported.
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