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'I thought it was junk mail' | Stimulus debit cards don't look like you think they would

The cards don't come from the IRS or the US Treasury. So, what do you do if you threw yours away by mistake?

GREENSBORO, N.C. — “When I brought in the mail, I thought it was junk mail.” People around the nation are saying much the same thing about their stimulus debit card.

Take a look at the envelope and the card itself and you can see why.

It's a plain white envelope that doesn’t have an address of the IRS or the US Treasury. You might think it’s a credit card offer you didn’t sign up for.

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North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein started hearing similar complaints over the weekend. “I heard about this from my mother, she lives in a retirement community and she sent me a picture. If you get one of these cards and have any question, call my office, we can help you figure out is it real or is it a scam.”

Let's give you a good look at the envelope and the card used for the stimulus payment. 

Credit: WFMY

The IRS contracted out with a third party to send out the debit payments. The return address will say “Money Network Card Holder Services or Metabank”. The card doesn't have any stimulus or IRS or US  Treasury markings on it. But the letter it is attached to does in fact tell you it's your stimulus payment. 

When you activate the stimulus card, you will have to give the last four digits of your social security number. It's safe to do that as long as you use the phone number or website listed on the card itself.

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“Any time there is money involved, scammers will come out,” warns Amy Nofziger the Director of the AARP Fraud Watch Network. “And they follow the headlines just like we do. So, anytime you get unsolicited phone calls, emails, texts for the pin number, your Social Security number or the card number, do not respond.”

The Money Network says a person may replace a lost or stolen card by calling 1-800-240-8100. Information on card replacement fees can be found here.

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