Virginia's Poverty Fighting Network

- This is an important story that will be broadcast on radio stations around Virginia--VACAP is a participating member of the Virginia News Connection service.

From the Virginia News Connection - Predators want to cheat you out of your "economic stimulus" check. Phones are already ringing across Virginia with offers to speed up your payout if you just give them your personal information. If you do, says Carolyn Spohrer (SPOR-er) of the Virginia Community Action Partnership, you may get your check, but you'll probably get your bank account cleaned out.

Don't lose your tax rebate to scam artists. That's the word from Virginia community action organizations who say crooks are already trying to con people out of the checks they are due under the economic stimulus plan. But beware: instead of getting your money sooner, you may get your bank account emptied. Carolyn Spohrer is with the Virginia Community Action Partnership.

Carolyn says, "With this stimulus payment has come a lot of folks fleecing people out of this stimulus by making phone calls saying oh, we can get you the stimulus faster if you give us your social security number and your bank account information. Don’t fall for it, don’t believe it, it will not happen."

Carolyn also says another threat is paying too much to cash your check. She says it's a federal government check that any bank or credit union should be able to cash. She adds that a bank may charge a small fee if you're not a regular customer, but it will be far less than a check cashing store.

Anyone with an income of at least $3000 should be getting a check, but you do need to file a tax return. And Spohrer says you don’t have to pay to get that done. "Your best bet would be to file a 1040A, very simple, front and back of one page, and VITA sites can help you for free, AARP can help you for free. There are professional tax preparers out there who are charging for it, but you don’t need to pay to have something like this done.