Fergie's Tech Blog

IRS: Some Stimulus Checks Sent to Wrong Accounts

Carol Polsky writes on Newsday.com:

Through the wonders of modern technology, some of those federal economic stimulus checks are being deposited directly into recipients' bank accounts.

But some are not - and are instead winding up in the bank accounts of complete strangers.

"We do know of instances of problems; we've heard of situations where stimulus checks have gone to the wrong people's bank accounts," conceded Kevin McKeon, the Internal Revenue Service spokesman for the New York region. "We're getting a lot of calls to the toll-free number."

One local taxpayer, who asked not to be identified, reported that he had discovered an unexpected deposit of $1,800 in his bank account. He said a review of his bank records revealed that it was a deposit from the IRS bearing another taxpayer's Social Security number. He said he contacted the IRS and was told by an agent that the deposit was one of 15,000 misrouted checks sent out incorrectly as a result of a computer programming glitch.

posted by Fergie @ 5/17/2008 01:31:00 PM