The Better Business Bureau of Connecticut and the Internal Revenue Service warn of a scam involving citizen\'s economic stimulus checks and checking resources. The IRS reported that many Connecticut citizens have been calling to complain of calls from people claiming to be the IRS, and claiming to want their social security and back account numbers in order to do a direct deposit of the stimulus check. Since these callers have been attempting to obtain social security and back account information, the state\'s Better Business Bureau released a statement reminding people that no real company of any standing would call anyone, especially unsolicited, and request personal information over the phone. In this scam, the callers profess their need of bank accounts and social security numbers for direct deposit, although no request for direct deposit was ever made. The IRS also reminded people that they, the IRS, never make phone calls to request this kind of information, especially since they already have it on tax returns. This same scam has also been reported in email form; the IRS does not send emails requesting any personal information. Resources say that in both of these scam instances, the caller and sender of the emails seeks to not only steal whatever resources are in these bank accounts, but accomplish identity theft as well. However, it is easy enough to avoid scams such as this one if one has the right resources. The first thing to always remember is to never divulge personal information over the phone, unless you are talking to an established business. Be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls and emails. Keep your bank account number, social security information, and credit card information to yourself, and remember that it is illegal for telemarketers to ask you for any of these financial resources. Never deal in cash, and use resources such as the Internet to research a company\'s legitimacy. While the restoration of your bank accounts is near impossible once you have been the victim of such a scam, a credit card offers more protection, as users have the right to dispute any charges made fraudulently. If you have received such a phone call, or an email claiming to be concerning a \"2008 Economic Stimulus Refund,\" contact your local authorities, especially because these sort of thieves typically use your resources to not only clean out their victims\' bank accounts and charge your existing credit cards, but also apply for loans, new credit cards, and make other financial gains by filing false tax return in the victims\' names. It is important to safeguard your personal information so as not to spend months or years restoring your credit records and savings accounts. Other scams that Connecticut citizens should be wary of include home foreclosure scams, sweepstakes scams, fraudulent iPhone scams, and work-at-home scams. In the case of any of these swindles, it is important to keep all of the above information in mind, and remember to be on one\'s guard in the case of the unsolicited offer or request for personal information.
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