Chapel Hill woman accidentally threw her stimulus money away and she's not alone
Another round of stimulus payments is going out to U.S. residents.
This time they are showing up in mailboxes in the form of a prepaid debit card. If you can believe it, some are accidentally throwing the money away.
Chapel Hill resident Susan Hafer got the prepaid debit card in the mail.
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"Why would anyone send me this card it must be a scam," she thought.
The letter with the prepaid debit card was from The Money Network Cardholder Services.
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"I kept it for a few days, and then I thought, 'I'm just going to cut it up and threw it in the trash,'" Hafer said.
However, Hafer saw on ABC11 that the IRS is sending four million prepaid debit cards instead of paper checks to some residents where the IRS doesn't have their banking information.
But it was too late. Hafer cut the card into so many pieces it couldn't be salvaged.
Hafer is not alone as several state attorney generals offices said they are getting calls from consumers about the same issue thinking the prepaid debit cards are a scam.
They are not. The IRS announced they're sending the Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) by prepaid debit card, instead of by paper check. With the cards, you can make purchases, get cash from in-network ATMs, and transfer funds to their personal bank account without incurring any fees. The cards must be activated by phone or online before they can be used.
The good news for Hafer is if your card gets lost or stolen, it can be replaced. You can call 1-800-240-8100 or click here for more information. Information on card replacement fees can be found here.
We shared that information with Hafer and a new card is in the mail. She says now that she knows it's loaded with $1,200, she won't be throwing it away.
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