Tens of millions of Americans have found themselves out of work as the economy reels from the impact of COVID-19. A record 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment insurance in the four weeks leading up to April 11. Unfortunately, when there’s bad news, the scammers aren’t far behind. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Americans have lost a …
Are you still waiting for your stimulus check? Many Americans who filed tax returns and used direct deposit for refunds already have theirs. Find out when yours is due! More than half of eligible Americans have already received their Economic Impact Payment, but tens of millions more are still waiting. We’ll let you in on when you can expect yours, …
The stimulus checks promised in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act are starting to land in checking accounts and mailboxes around the country. The $1,200 granted to most middle-class adults is a welcome relief during these financially trying times. Many recipients may be wondering: What is the best way to use this money? To help you determine …
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020. This $2 trillion emergency relief package represents a bipartisan effort to assist both individuals and businesses in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and accompanying economic crisis. The CARES Act provisions for retirement plan relief for individuals under federal tax law are discussed here. For …
A top priority for us at Directions Credit Union is the financial safety of our members. Unfortunately, we have recently seen an increase in fraud activity. Criminals are using the current coronavirus pandemic to make their fraud attempts more relevant in addition to preying on people’s concern and fear. To help concerned citizens avoid scams, members of the integrated Directions …
Crisis and disaster headlines typically generate misinformation and scammers try to take advantage of the situation. The novel coronavirus is no different. Scammers want to collect your personal or financial information or get you to download malware to do the same thing. Or they may be selling products they claim to cure or prevent the virus. They will use emails, …
With the current state of the Coronavirus, there are already scams trying to get donations and sending spam emails. Opening a spam email installs malware to get sensitive information off of your computer. Keep an eye out for email subjects like “How to protect yourself from COVID-19.” With people worrying about how to protect themselves, this is an easy way …
We have answered all your questions about the 2020 census! Every 10 years, the Census Bureau makes an effort to count every person living in the U.S. Though the process won’t start until mid-March 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is already warning of scammers exploiting the process to con you out of your sensitive information. That’s why it’s important …
While it can be disconcerting to find a mistake in your credit report, the good news is you can contest errors like these and fix your score. As a financially responsible individual, you should be checking your credit on a regular basis. You can do this by signing up for free credit monitoring on a reputable website like CreditKarma.com, requesting …
There’s recently been an uptick in fake check scams targeting new college students. Young adults make excellent targets. In fact, according to the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, consumers ages 18 to 24 are three times more likely than seniors to fall prey to a scam. Also, the BBB’s ScamTracker Risk Report of 2018 found that 41.6% of students reported …
