Beware of Stimulus Check Scam

NORTH ADAMS — As the first round of the economic stimulus checks start flooding into mailboxes and bank accounts across the country, local agencies — and the Internal Revenue Service — are warning consumers about online scams that ask for personal information to ensure the safe receipt of the money.

E-mails coming from senders who claim to be the IRS request that those wishing to receive their economic stimulus refund fill out a form so the check can be deposited.

"The scam is trying to get personal and/or financial institution account information for identity theft purposes. The IRS and financial institutions will never call or e-mail an individual for personal or financial account information," said Gwen Boillat, the assistant vice president and security officer at Greylock Federal Credit Union.

Many of the e-mails look authentic and even have an IRS banner and copyright information on them.

"Many of these scams involve official-looking e-mails that try to lure recipients into providing data at fake 'IRS' Web sites to get a rebate," said Boillat. "People also are receiving phone calls telling them that they can receive a tax rebate only if they provide bank account information for a direct deposit."

"Taxpayers do not have to fill out a separate form to get a stimulus payment or have it directly deposited; all they had to do was file a tax return and provide direct deposit information on the return," the IRS site states.

Boillat said taxpayers who filed by April 15 through direct deposit will receive their checks the same way and the deposit to the account can be identified as "Tax Refund" issued from Treasury 220. Paper checks will have "2008 Economic Stimulus Payment" written on them.

Anyone who has received a questionable e-mail can forward it to a mailbox the IRS has established to investigate suspicious e-mails: phishing@irs.gov.

According to Boillat, individuals with at least $3,000 in qualifying income may qualify for an economic stimulus payment of $300 ($600 for married couples) plus the $300 per qualifying child payment. However, they must file a 2007 income tax return by Oct. 15, 2008, to receive a stimulus payment.

The tax rebates are a result of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 that was passed by Congress in February in an effort to boost the struggling economy and avoid a recession through the encouragement of consumer spending.

Pittsfield Celebrates Robert 'Bob' Presutti on Arbor Day

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:33PM / Friday, April 26, 2024

Bob Presutti, right, is presented the Hebert Award in 2017 for his volunteer efforts at Springside Park. He died in 2023 at age 88.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A tree has been planted next to the Berkshire Athenaeum in honor of local "giant" Robert Presutti.

Officials celebrated Arbor Day on Friday by installing a commemorative plaque next to the American elm sapling. This is a tree that James McGrath, the city's park program manager, said Presutti would have been particularly proud of.

"Today is a day where we yes, celebrate trees, but today is also a day where here in the city we intentionally try to acknowledge the good work of folks in our community who spend their time and their efforts and their talents to make Pittsfield a more beautiful place," he said to a crowd of about 20 people.

"Today we are honoring a longtime community volunteer named Bob Presutti. I'm sure a lot of you here know Bob and know his contributions to the city, not only when it comes to trees and parks but also to the Retired Senior Volunteer Program."

The longtime volunteer passed away last year at the age of 88. He contributed more than 10,600 hours to RSVP and had great impacts on the Parks Department over the years from sharing his knowledge and talents to ensuring that workers were safe when working on trees.

"This morning I went through my emails to see how many emails Bob Presutti sent me since the year 2001 when I started with the city. Bob Presutti sent me 14,000 emails and nearly every single one of those was about trees," McGrath said, prompting laughter and smiles from attendees.

One thread struck him as particularly important because it showed Presutti's empathy when it comes to the safety of city workers while caring for trees.

"There were multiple emails from Bob about the need to get the Parks Department maintenance guys into a program learning about chainsaw safety and learning about ladder safety. He was really into making certain that our city workers were well cared for and had all of the instruction that they needed and in fact, he even offered his own time and services after he became certified to teach our city workers," McGrath said.