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Do you think your economic impact payment has landed in the hands of an identity thief? You can report it to the FTC and the IRS at the same time. Here’s what to do.

Visit IdentityTheft.gov, the government’s one-stop resource for people to report identity theft and get a personal recovery plan. Click “Get started.” The next page asks, “Which statement best describes our situation?” Click the line that says, “Someone filed a Federal tax return – or claimed an economic stimulus payment – using my information.” You’re on your way.

Logo: Coronavirus Scams: Tips from the FTCIdentityTheft.gov will ask you some questions so that it can complete an IRS Identity Theft Affidavit (IRS Form 14039) for you, and submit it electronically to the IRS. You can include a personal statement too, to tell the IRS details about how your identity was misused to claim your economic impact payment. You also can download a copy of your completed Affidavit for your files. And, IdentityTheft.gov also will give you a recovery plan with steps you can take to help protect yourself from further identity theft.

Use IdentityTheft.gov to report suspected identity theft only. If you have other concerns about your economic impact payment, visit the IRS’s Economic Impact Payment Information Center and Get My Payment Frequently Asked Questions pages for detailed, and frequently-updated, answers to questions. You also can find information here about payments that the IRS may have deposited to an account you don’t recognize.

Whether you’re waiting for your payment, or even if it’s already arrived, keep alert for scammers trying to steal your personal information, your money, or both. Remember, the IRS will not call, text you, email you, or contact you on social media asking for personal or bank account information – even related to the stimulus payments. Also, watch out for emails and texts with attachments or links claiming to have special information about the payments. They’re fake, and they may be phishing for your personal information or might download malware to your computer, tablet, or phone.

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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

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Mmw041387
May 13, 2020
I recieved my white house conformation letter but not the check. I went online to the IRS "get my payment app" and it says it was mailed April 24,2020. Is it just delayed or has someone stolen it??
LA
May 28, 2020

In reply to by Mmw041387

The same thing happened to me. I got the letter dated April 24th. in mid-May. Get My Payment said it sent a check on April 24th but it never arrived. No one answers the phone on the newly created hot line and I haven't seen anything procedure to report this problem.
lk3d
May 13, 2020
I never received my stimulus check ever since they start giving them out,i put my bank information in on may 2 and it is may 13 and the site is still saying once payment date is available we will update your payment and I never received a check in the mail,so is it ok to assume someone has taken mine? Because it says I am eligible for one
Dee Anna
May 13, 2020
My husband lost our stimulus check, we believe it went through the wash. Are we eligible to get a replacement check? If yes then what is the process? I cannot find an answer after several internet searches.
Pandy80
May 21, 2020

In reply to by Dee Anna

Did u ever find a answer to your question? I washed a friends check and we cannot figure out what to do either.
Dee Anna
May 21, 2020

In reply to by Pandy80

No I have not. My accountant told me too enter my bank information so they can direct deposit however know one at the IRS answering phones and no response from this sight. I'm guessing I'll have to wait until they re open the IRS. It really sucks but I don't think there is anything more we can do.
Grayfox
May 13, 2020
I checked get my payment and they save my stimulus check would have been deposit on the 30th and to my bank account I haven't seen it showing up in my bank account yet I don't know what to do how do I check to make sure no one installed it cuz I talked to my bank and they say they haven't seen where it was deposited but on the website it says it was deposited
Mike_D
May 14, 2020

In reply to by Grayfox

Same thing with me. Letter and site says it was deposited. Bank has no clue. Do you owe child support??
Lalu
May 29, 2020

In reply to by Grayfox

Get my payment said mine would be deposited 5/13/2020 and this is 5/29/2020 bank says has not come to them and still no check I do not know what to do the phone # they supply is just a recording of what is on the IRS. Gov web page
crystal
May 13, 2020
yes they mailed mine and my boyfriends out on the 24th. He got his on the 27th and I never got mine. Recieved the letters 15 days later and there is no information on what to do if your check has been stolen. I do not know what to do or who to call.
Philmanjoy29!
May 13, 2020
I don't know what to do. I still haven't received my stimulus check. It says that it was mailed out on the 24th of April well everyone I know says they got it the next day. When there's said it was mailed out on the 24th. Mine said it was going to an old address of mine. Well the people that lived there said it never came there. It possibly could be been forwarded to a newer address but I don't live there either. What I'm thinking is it either got sent back or someone stole it from the mailbox. I can't find out how to find it. The irs is closed so I can't contact them. And I've been looking online to try and find a way. Please if anybody knows what to do let me know thank you
April Michelle…
May 13, 2020
I haven't received any stimulus check yet, and believe someone cashed it ... I have no bank account, since February....
tonya_b
May 13, 2020
My nephew, went to H&R Block. They were helping people apply for a stimulus check. The IRS rejected his application. He thinks his identity was stolen. What can he do about this?
Chuck027
May 13, 2020
I am Charles Walker i put in a identity theft
Stesha1314
May 14, 2020
My city was wrong on my tax return and the portal says my stimulus was mailed on the 24th of April what are the actions that I need to take to get my stimulus now because even when I put the address in on Google it goes directly to my address and I still havent got nothing in the mail
mcduffie
May 14, 2020
check was scheduled to be mailed on May 4, 2020, but I still have not received it.
Miodice69
May 15, 2020

In reply to by mcduffie

Same here irs portal says check mailed out 5/4 but its 5/15 and still nothing whats going on and what are we suposed to do about this. If anyone receives theirs in mail please update and let us still waiting know please thanks I'm in spokane washington.
AltemusPrime
May 14, 2020
I checked the wheres my stimulus and it said my check was mailed May 1st. However I have not received it. Why?
Ben
May 14, 2020
I'm facing the same problem. I see a lot of checks from April 24th have not reached the addresses. Is it the problem with the checks they sent out on that particular date ? I don't feel so many checks from the same date would get stolen.
Traductrice1111
May 17, 2020

In reply to by Ben

Exactly! I have noticed a lot of the people complaining about lost / stolen checks were the wave that "supposedly" got scheduled to go out on April 24. Maybe they were never sent to begin with, but they had to put a date to ease people who have been complaining about the website issuing "information Not Available" and to deflect media attention. It does not take 3 weeks to mail a letter within the US. They need to open up a customer service hotline to answer people's inquiries and put a trace on the promised checks.
AHarding
May 18, 2020

In reply to by Ben

Going through the same got the letter but not the check and mine was mailed out on the 24th of April
Mom2600
May 14, 2020
My stimulis check was stolen out of my mailbox I have filed out the form and sent the police report to the irs how long do I havw to wait to get another stimulus check
FTC Staff
May 20, 2020

In reply to by Mom2600

You can report the stolen check and create an IRS affidavit at www.IdentityTheft.gov. Click "Get Started" on the first page. On the next page, click on the green bar that says " someone claimed an economic stimulus payment using my information."

Fill in what you know to create an identity theft report and IRS Identity Theft Affidavit. The system will create a list of steps for what you can do next.

EP1
May 14, 2020
Its the mail most post offices are understaffed. I mailed my daughter a money order in the same state same county and it took her 9 days to get it. Imagine an irs check.
Vaborn
May 14, 2020
USPS Informed Delivery shows my check last Friday. 7 days later still no check. Who do I contact?
Julie
May 15, 2020

In reply to by Vaborn

Same for me was suppose to be here Saterday my informed delivery showed me picture ,all other showed up but not my check post office said it's lost in mail or mail carrier but in someone else's box, well still don't have and I have no idea on who to call.
stacau01
May 14, 2020
I work for a financial institution. We believe that one of our members deposited a stimulus check that does not belong to them. how do we report it?
B Jensen
May 14, 2020
My mother, who is 80 years old, received her stimulus check in the mail, but then she lost it. How can she have a stop payment on the check and have it reissued?
Cindy M.H.
May 14, 2020
It said May 1 check on its way. It’s May 13 and I have not received my stimulus check. I got the letter on May 11 but never a check. Is it stolen? or takes weeks to be delivered? So confused.
Jay
May 14, 2020
I have the same problem!!!. My check was mailed April 24th and I got the letter may 11th but still no check!!!. I've been driving myself crazy thinking it got stolen and I've called the number provided to me and gone on the IRS website and they just run you in circles with no definitive answers or ways to fix the problem!!!. Cruelest April fool's joke ever, courtesy of the government.
7783MICHIGAN
May 14, 2020
I receive SSDI and I get between $10-$20,000 per year. I have direct deposit and I have not received my stimulus check. Why is this, and what can I do, and whom should I contact?
sgreen7
May 20, 2020
My check went to my grandmothers home and she cashed it without my consent. Can the irs check and see when and what bank it was cashed at? She is refusing to send me the money. I no longer live in that state. Would this be identity theft since she deposited someone else’s check into her account?
FTC Staff
May 20, 2020

In reply to by sgreen7

You can report the stolen check and create an IRS affidavit at www.IdentityTheft.gov. Click "Get Started" on the first page. On the next page, click on the green bar that says " someone claimed an economic stimulus payment using my information."

Fill in what you know to create an identity theft report and IRS Identity Theft Affidavit. The system will create a list of steps for what you can do next.

Chris
May 14, 2020
My check was stolen from my mail box. How do I retrieve or report it stolen to get my check?
rdrnnr77
May 14, 2020
The letter from the IRS sent 2 weeks after stimulus payment was made is supposed to have info on what to do if your check was not received, however, nowhere in the letter is this issue mentioned. The phone number given is an automated message which also gives no info on what to do if your check was mailed but not received.
Angelabaaby2020
May 14, 2020
My check says it was mailed out April 24th and its may14th still have not cotton anything in mail what due I due now how due I find out where it is I am a mother of 5 and need my money
Thankful
May 14, 2020
The irs portal says that my check was mailed out April 24th, but it’s May 14th and I still haven’t received it. Post office keeps saying they haven’t gotten it, but two weeks ago I enrolled in Usps informed delivery. And Monday I was supposed to get the letter the irs sends out 15 days after the payment, and it didn’t show up. Toledo post office manager says she has a lot of them just sitting on her desk in her office. But mines is not one of them. Why is it that they are keeping the checks, instead of delivering them? Did the irs even send it, is there a reason why no one has received their paper check, and all the payments are not showing up via direct deposit?
Janed
May 14, 2020
What do I do if my stimulus check was mailed to an old address. And when I went to ask for it I was told the new tenant tore up my stimulus check. I'm not sure if it was cashed or not. He assured me it did come but he tore it up!
Anna
May 14, 2020
I received the informed delivery about my stimulus check but it was not in the mail. How can I report it? Any leads
Captkristo
May 14, 2020
The "get my payment" tool said that my stimulus payment was scheduled to be mailed on April 24th. This past weekend (May 9th or 10th), I received letter 1444 from the IRS. It was dated April 24th. I still have not received my actual check. It is my understanding that everyone was supposed to receive that letter 15 days after their payment was deposited or their check was mailed as a confirmation of sorts. So, I'm assuming that my check must have been stolen or diverted prior to reaching me. If I am correct, what actions should I take?
Tracy
May 16, 2020

In reply to by Captkristo

My daughter also received information off the IRS website the her check was being mailed on April 24th. Two days ago she received the EIP (1444) letter also..... Still no check to be seen. I've spent several hours trying to resolve this but I'm getting NO WHERE. The IRS website also claims that the 1444 letter we receive AFTER (approximately 15) is to confirm our payment and that for any reason we haven't received payment that information on this letter would help resolve this problem. I see nothing in this letter except the 10 cents the government is probably charging is taxpayers.
rell 410
May 14, 2020
I received my letter from the White House on Tuesday but no check and it was schedule to be mailed to me on April 24th...have anyone got there check yet???? This is crazy
Glayton
May 15, 2020
Probably that's what happened to mine, on SSI don't tax's n been waiting n waiting n nothing deposited in my bank they said the 13 of may we was to get it in are bank account I know there something very going on not I but almost everyone I know or talk too have got there's either. What a shame !!
Desperate Non-…
May 15, 2020
Get my payment says - check scheduled for 4/24. I received the form 1444 trump letter. But no check. Please inform me as to what is going on and what I can do. PLEASE HELP!
Joseph Cruz 99
May 15, 2020
I enter my info correctly numerous times and still can’t verify me I also file for 2018 and 2019 tax return. Why cant I log into the irs.gov/getmypayment to check on the status of my stimulus check, however I received a letter from the White House explaining I have received my check which I haven’t.
Druzell
May 15, 2020
My check was supposed to been Deposited on April the 29th Am I direct deposit because I receive SSDI My bank hasn't received the check I haven't received a check and I still haven't received a letter stating that they sent me the money I also have a twelve-year-old daughter and she hasn't gotten her $500 see it
Pelicia Ashley
May 15, 2020
My stimulus check was sent to my address I used on my 2018 taxes. I became disabled November 2018, so I didn't file 2019 because i recieve ssdi as of November 2018. I was told i didn't need to update info because I would get my stimulus payment on my benefit card as per ssdi.. So my check was sent to an address I no longer live at, I went to usps it wasn't returned to sender. So I haven't gotten a thing. I was told my info would be gathered from ssa so why did they send a check versus depositing it on my benefit card. I read faq's and it said if u received disability I need not to do a thing. I am officially a non filer and didn't work from 2018- til now because of my disability. So what am I to do to recover my check?
needanswers
May 15, 2020
My ex and I filed taxes together. He left and has the card where our check was deposited and refuses to give me my half. What number do I call to report it?
Bodenshotderek…
May 15, 2020
What do I do to get my stimulus check if someone else sends it back to the I R S?