A KPRC viewer wrote into ‘2 Helps You’ asking about a website promising $5,000 stimulus checks. We looked into the website and found red flags that could lead to potential identity theft and fraud schemes.
The suspicious website, FedStim.com, claimed to offer “relief stimulus payments” to individuals who provided their personal information. The website looked legit, but there were red flags.
The site has since disappeared, but experts warn similar scams continue to emerge.
How to spot a suspicious website
The Better Business Bureau warns that scammers often exploit trending topics and financial pressures to collect personal information. Several red flags identified with this particular website included:
- No contact information provided
- Missing “About Us” page
- References to expired COVID-era stimulus programs
- misspellings, grammatical issues and errors on the site
- Sudden disappearance of the entire website
The BBB says often these types of websites claim to be from a government agency. Remember, all official government websites end in .gov.
For websites claiming to be a government agency, the BBB reminds
Protect yourself
If you’ve already submitted personal information to a suspicious website, take these immediate steps:
- Monitor your bank accounts and credit card statements
- Request a free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com
- Watch for unusual activity or new credit lines opened in your name