From the Detroit Free Press:
Here's some sorry news this summer: There's no secret cash stash out there to pay your utility bills or your old outstanding debts with the state.
Consumers are getting swept into some scams across the country that promise a way to use special bank routing numbers supposedly from the U.S. government to cover their bills.
One website notes: "Pay all bills now with your no-longer secret Social Security Trust Account." ...
By re-examining the account numbers being used to pay bills, staff members noticed that individuals had been trying to pay old state debts by using routing numbers from two U.S. Department of Treasury bureaus — the financial management service and the bureau of public debt. ...
Leix said the strategy seems to be one promoted by tax protest groups and others. ...
"It just won't work," Leix said. "It's just not a valid method of payment for any outstanding debt." ...
People are being told that your Social Security number is all that you need to unlock payment from a “corporate account” that was established by the government in your name. ...
I'd rather put my trust in a deposed Nigerian prince.
ReplyDeleteIn all seriousness, it would have been nice if people had considered whether what they were being told was too good to be true back in November when they visited the voting booth.