This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

DENVER (KDVR) — Scams targeting  thousands of people struggling  during the COVID-19 pandemic are taking a new turn.

The  Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Department of Justice Covid Fraud Task Force are warning of a wave of identity theft.

Medical coder Angie Straub was shocked when her employer notified her that her identity had been stolen.

Straub told the FOX31 Problem Solvers that she received an unemployment benefits card she never applied for, followed by a request to file taxes on the money. 

“I received a tax document , the 1099 -G, that I would have to file for this year’s taxes but like I said I did not file for unemployment’ said Straub.

Amanda Prestegard, Assistant Special Agent of IRS Criminal Investigations said the agency is seeing higher rates of identity theft during the coronavirus pandemic.

Scams are designed to trick targeted individuals into providing personal financial information.

Many offer deals that sound “too good to be true”.

“If somebody is reaching out to say, “we can help you get your payment faster or get more payment”, or saying, “invest in our company that is going to work on vaccines,” it could be too good to be true, Prestegard said.

Victims are often targeted with text messages or phony emails. 

Prestegard warns, “The only way we’re going to contact you is formally on the telephone with a verification through written correspondence”. 

Anyone who signed up to receive unemployment benefits should aware of how future payments will be received.

“If you got the first payment that came earlier or last year in 2020,  the second payment will come through the same way,” Prestegard said.

The IRS adds that the agency never contacts residents via social media or text message.

To protect against fraud, monitor your tax return on the IRS website.  Any suspicious activity should be reported to the IRS.