(Boise) – Attorney General Lawrence Wasden is reminding Idahoans that some may soon see their federal stimulus payments arriving in the mail in the form of debit cards.
The federal government began issuing payments following the signing of the legislation on March 11. As with previous payments, eligible Idahoans could receive their payments via direct deposit, paper checks or the Economic Impact Payment debit cards.
Wasden is alerting Idahoans to the debit card payments to help avoid any hassles.
“The debit cards caused some confusion when stimulus payments were mailed in January,” Wasden said. “Consumer Protection Division staff heard from dozens of Idahoans who received the cards and had questions over their legitimacy. Some people weren’t expecting the cards, thought they were junk mail or a scam and threw their payments in the trash. While replacement payments can be issued, it’s obviously a lot easier to avoid that headache in the first place.”
In guidance posted online, the IRS says initial payments are being issued by direct deposit, but that additional payments will be sent in the coming weeks via checks and debit cards.
Previous cards were issued by MetaBank and could be used anywhere Visa Debit Cards are accepted. Recipients could also transfer the money to bank accounts. As part of the second round of Economic Impact Payments, the U.S Treasury and IRS said in January that around 8 million cards were being issued nationwide. They were mailed in white envelopes displaying the U.S. Treasury seal.
Images of the cards are available here.
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