FTC Warns Consumers About Economic Stimulus Scams

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning consumers that they could get stung by economic stimulus scams, perpetrated on the Web and through e-mail, by enticing consumers to provide personal information or a small payment.

E-mail messages and Web sites may ask for bank account information and use it to drain consumers' accounts of money or commit identity theft. Web sites also may persuade consumers to clink on links that will download malicious software or spyware that can be used to make them a victim of identity theft, or entice consumers to pay a small fee in order to capture their credit card information.

"Web sites may advertise that they can help you get money from the stimulus fund," said Eileen Harrington, acting director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "Many use deceptive names or images of President Obama and Vice President Biden to suggest they are legitimate. They're not."

To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC's online Complaint Assistant at ftccomplaintassistant.gov or call (877) 382-4357.