SCAM WATCH: Don't Buy into Economic Stimulus Cons

Scams spring up promising stimulus

Have you seen ads saying you can get a huge stimulus check this year? Three words: scam, scam, scam

If you spend a lot of time on the Internet, you have probably seen the ads promising you can “get your $12,000 stimulus check!” Many even feature a picture of Barack Obama.

The Federal Trade Commission has a message for anyone who has thought of clicking on those ads: It’s a scam.

Con artists seize opportunity

Even before the economic stimulus package was signed, con artists began cooking up schemes for how they could profit from it. Most of these scams operate by promising you can get a big, fat check from the government if you spend a few dollars to get information on how to do it.

Bogus web sites

If a web site asks you for your credit card number or other personal information in exchange for instructions on how to get money from the stimulus package, ignore it. The economic stimulus package does not include cash advances that go directly to individuals.

“President Obama is not endorsing websites that ask you to send $1.99 or $3.99 to get information about how you can get part of the stimulus pie. Not happening,”Eileen Harrington, acting director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

What to do if you’ve already been scammed

These fraudulent operations have already been running for weeks. If you have already given out information to a website that fits this description, it’s not too late to avoid more consequences. If you’ve already been conned: ... click here to read the rest of the article titled "SCAM WATCH: Don't Buy into Economic Stimulus Cons"