Dear John,

I hope this message finds you and your family safe and healthy. As we continue to grapple with this pandemic, I’m hearing from more and more of your friends and neighbors about the social and economic toll this crisis is taking on our communities. That input is invaluable to me when it comes to finding legislative solutions to include in Congress’ coronavirus relief legislation -- solutions that will help Oregonians weather this storm.

One of those critical programs is the direct payment program, which is providing payments of up to $1,200 or more to families across America. (A few weeks back, I sent you a message with more information about the program and how you can track your payment. You can read that message again here, and find my quick update on direct payments for VA recipients here.)

While many Oregonians have already received their direct payments, I know others are still waiting. For those of you who have not yet received your payment, know that Social Security recipients will start seeing payments by April 29, and Supplemental Security Insurance and Veterans benefit recipients will begin to receive their payments in early May. Remember that Social Security recipients will automatically receive their payments even if they have not filed taxes within the last two years -- but Social Security recipients who also have dependent children under the age of 17 must sign up here by May 5 to receive their additional $500 per dependent. You can use this link to track your payment.

In addition to those updates, I also wanted to follow up to warn you that reports are surfacing about scammers trying to trick Americans into giving up their payments or personal information -- and to give you some tips to avoiding these tricks:

1. Be suspicious of emails, calls, and texts regarding your payment that ask for personal information. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which is in charge of disbursing the payments, does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text, or social media channels to request any form of personal or financial information.

2. Keep an eye out for a receipt from the IRS, which will send you a letter two weeks after your payment was delivered to confirm that you should have received it.

3. Read carefully -- the IRS is referring to the payments as “economic impact payments.” So if you receive any communications referring to a “stimulus check,” be suspicious.

4. Be wary of scams claiming that you were overpaid and need to send a check back. Keep in mind that the maximum payment amounts are $1,200 per adult and $500 per child.

If you have been targeted with unsolicited emails, texts, or social media communications that you feel may be related to a scam, you should forward those messages to [email protected].

It is deeply disturbing that scammers are using this challenging moment to swindle critical resources from vulnerable families and seniors. Please know that I will continue to update you with new guidance, should it become available, on how to avoid these scams. In the meantime, I hope you will continue to stay home and stay safe.

All my best,
Jeff