BBB: Beware Of New Census, Stimulus Check Scam

There is a lot going on in the world but scammers aren't slowing down. The Better Business Bureau is warning of another new scam relating to COVID-19.

According to a press release, the new scam people need to be aware of concerns the U.S. census and stimulus checks.

Here's how it works: the victim of the scam gets a text message, email or message on social media. The message states that you must complete the 2020 census in order to receive your stimulus payment. The message contains a link, which is in turn used in an effort to take your personal information.

What is scary about this scam is that the link provided in the message could also get personal information from your computer and it looks like a legitimate census website.

It is important to note that you will never be asked to provide personal information when filling out the census, which is currently underway in the United States.

Stimulus payments are still being rolled out across the United States as well. Pairing these two ongoing events with the current pandemic and you have a lot of moving parts that can lead to confusion.

The BBB suggests familiarizing yourself with how the U.S. Census Bureau operates so you know what is odd or out of place should you become a victim of a similar scam. As always, only visit official websites and never click any links that come with a message of any sort until you can confirm it is legitimate.

There have been a bunch of scams since the beginning of COVID-19 preying on the pandemic. Most recently, police had to warn residents about a similar text message scam using the pandemic to gain personal information from victims.