Given the current state of the economy, it should come as no surprise that people are looking for ways to increase their income or decrease their financial burden. Although there are always people out there who try to scam money from others, when times get hard like they are now, it’s almost guaranteed that the amount of money scams targeted unsuspecting people will rise.

Currently, one money scam that is increasing rapidly is the government stimulus money scam. Although the government has legitimately allocated billions of dollars for their various stimulus plans, this doesn’t mean that every mention of government stimulus money that you see is actually legitimate.

The most common form of the current government stimulus money scam begins with an email or even postcard that guarantees recipients a piece of the $700 billion stimulus package. All the recipient needs to do is call a 1-800 number. However, this is where things go from legitimate to the scam. Once you call the 1-800 number, the individual you speak to will attempt to persuade you to give them your credit card number. If you give them your credit card number, you can expect a hefty charge with absolutely nothing in return.

As an example of someone who has been targeted by this money scam, Scottsdale resident Jeffery Sadow was recently scammed for $1,100 by this exact scheme. He received a post card in the mail, and after calling the 1-800 number and giving up his credit card number, a $1,100 charge was posted to his credit card.