People have been tossing away free money this year. The citizens in California have accidentally thrown out their $1,050 Middle-Class Tax Refund checks (the biggest in state history), GOBankingRates.com reports.
The citizens in California have accidentally thrown out their $1,050 Middle-Class Tax Refund checks (the biggest in state history), GOBankingRates.com reports. (Photo: Go Banking Rates)
You Should Check Your Mails As Refunds And Payments May Look Like Junk
News Leaders in Houston have reported that news station KHOU have mentioned that a lot of Texas citizens had also mistakenly discarded their $600 stimulus payments and It’s also happened in Virginia. And people in those states are not alone.
Residents have reported that they assumed that it was junk mail or a scam and put the envelope right into the trash or shredder rather than wasting their time on possible fraudsters. These issues are partial because many of these checks aren’t checks at all, but rather prepaid debit cards, and they’re enclosed in envelopes that look very similar to junk mail, as NBC News has reported.
Moreover, the FTC has warned consumers about “refund and recovery” scams that have citizens extremely cautious. In some cases, the mail may have a random return address, usually to a Post Office Box, and the plain white envelope has no federal insignia that would make it appear as an official document that you’d want to pay attention to.
According to a published post by Yahoo Finance, it’s not just state payments either, as the IRS has also turned to a similar system of mail.
The citizens in California have accidentally thrown out their $1,050 Middle-Class Tax Refund checks (the biggest in state history), GOBankingRates.com reports. (Photo: Yahoo Finance)
Always Double Check Your Mails As Refunds And Payments May be Seen As Junk
The government pivoted to debit cards initially during the pandemic to quicken payment delivery as people needed the money for essentials as a lot of citizens were struggling financially due to job loss.
There’s also some security in sending mail using this method since if it doesn’t look like a check, it’s less likely to be apprehended by thieves who’ve gotten very savvy about stealing funds intended for other citizens.
Thankfully, states and the government have call lines if you accidentally discard, dispose of or shred your stimulus payment, after thinking it was junk mail. But the problem doesn’t end there as there is a variety of checks or refunds that may come your way that could also look nondescript and might end up in the trash.
