Economic Stimulus Package Scams on the Rise

Somerset County Board of Freeholders
The Somerset County Board of Freeholders and the county Consumer Protection Office want residents to be aware of a number of scams that offer financial gain related to the federal economic stimulus package.
“Scammers are using the Web and e-mail to entice people to provide personal information or pay a small sum of money to receive money,” said Freeholder Peter S. Palmer, consumer protection office liaison.
“It’s a sad reality that during difficult times and emergency situations, scams increase,” he said. “Residents should be wary of unsolicited requests for bank account information and verification of personal information, no matter how authentic the Web site, e-mail or caller may seem.”
In New Jersey, scammers have sent mailers offering residents a secondary stimulus check from the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Respondents are then asked to call a toll-free number and pressured to buy a kit to purchase foreclosed properties.
Other examples of recent scams include an e-mail message asking for bank-account information so that stimulus funds can be deposited, but instead money is withdrawn from bank accounts; requests to verify information by going to a particular Web site and then malicious software or spyware is downloaded; and deceptive Web sites with images of government officials to make the sites look legitimate. All these methods lure people into providing personal information, thereby possibly subjecting them to identity theft.
Additionally, some sites ask for a minimal sum of money to receive a list of economic stimulus grants. As a result, scammers will either use consumer’s credit-card numbers for personal use or ensnare people into agreements that will cost thousands of dollars if they cancel.
For more information about economic stimulus package scams, visit the Federal Trade Commission Web site at www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/03/stimulusscam.shtm.
Consumers who may already have fallen for these scams should carefully check their credit card bills and bank statements for unauthorized chargers. 
Residents should contact the Somerset County Consumer Protection Office at 908-203-6080 or online at [email protected] if they believe they have been a victim of a scam.