The IRS will never text, call or email asking for bank information or payments. Don’t throw it away thinking it’s junk mail or a scam. Your Economic Impact Payment (EIP) card will arrive in an envelope from Money Network Cardholder Services. The IRS does not determine who receives a prepaid debit card. For instance, some people have reported receiving text messages requesting bank account information for direct deposit of your stimulus money. And in some cases, taxpayers may have moved or changed banks since they got their first stimulus checks. Stimulus payment scams are out there, and it’s worth keeping a cautious eye so as not to be taken. See: 15 Coronavirus Scams to Avoid at All Costsįind: Third Stimulus Check Likely Coming Under Biden - How Much Could You Get? But when they asked for the last six digits of his Social Security number, he hung up the phone to investigate further. Nevertheless, he called the 800 number on the back and entered the 16-digit card number as requested. He’d been scammed before and was on the alert.
#Stimulus debit card envelope free#
He had received his first stimulus payment via check and didn’t understand why the IRS would send him a debit card this time, he told the Detroit Free Press. See: “Status Not Available” on IRS Website Could Mean You Won’t See Your Stimulus Payment Soonįind: Second Stimulus Check - Should You Spend or Save Your $600?ĭaniel Brazill, a 63-year-old Detroit man, almost did exactly that. And if you open the envelope to find a blue card with silver stars and the Visa Debit logo on it, don’t throw the card away. Otherwise, happy spending.Other reports say the envelope may read: “Money Network Cardholder Services.” In essence, if you’re still waiting for your stimulus money, open every piece of mail just in case.
So to summarize, the IRS - on instructions from the Bureau of the Fiscal Service - outsourced the issuing of millions of stimulus debit cards in clandestine envelopes to both Money Network Cardholder Services and MetaBank, and you can call Money Network if there are any questions or concerns (but not MetaBank or the IRS, because they will both just direct you back to Money Network). Related: Which Companies Have Returned Their SBA PPP Loans (Updated) You can call Money Network's customer-service line at 1-80. Check their card balance online, by mobile app or by phone.Īnd if you did happen to discard your envelope in the trash, don't fret - too much.Transfer funds to their personal bank account.Make purchases online and at any retail location where Visa is accepted.In response to the disconnect, the IRS just yesterday posted an updated "COVID Tax Top" to its website clarifying the nature of its relationship with both Money Network and MetaBank and itemizing that recipients can use the debit card as follows:
As reported in regional outlets including the Miami Heraldand Atlanta Journal-Constitution, some stimulus beneficiaries have been throwing the envelopes away or nearly tossing them before taking steps to authenticate their origins.
Related: Treasury Sending Out 4 Million Prepaid Debit Cards With Stimulus MoneyĬonsequently, confusion has reigned. (And even then, guidance on who should anticipate a card and how they could distinguish it from solicitous mail was vague.) The problem is that, prior to yesterday, most recipients had no expectation that such a card (as opposed to the direct-deposit payment or paper check received by the majority of American taxpayers and households) would arrive, unless they were really diligent about following U.S.
Getty Images/Pictafolio What's in your wallet? Hopefully, the government-issued debit card that may have arrived stealthily in your mail. Odds are that envelope contains your cash infusion - up to $1,200 for individuals - in the form of a debit card issued by the IRS, via an agency-selected institution called MetaBank. The cards have a Visa logo on the front and they've been issued by MetaBank, which is displayed on the back. If that headline weren't emphatic enough, let us reiterate: Do not throw away an envelope with a return address from Money Network Cardholder Services, particularly if you have yet to receive your one-time stimulus payment from the federal government as promised in the CARES Act. The debit cards come in white envelopes with a Treasury Department seal.
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