Coronavirus stimulus checks reportedly get sent to dead people

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Stimulus checks the government promised to millions of Americans during the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic began arriving Wednesday – including some for people who are no longer living, multiple reports said.

Social media posts around the country report relatives of the deceased were notified Wednesday of a direct deposit in their loved ones’ accounts, despite some banks’ websites crashing from the heavy traffic, The Sacramento Bee reported.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Internal Revenue Service website didn’t have guidelines for the payments sent in error to the deceased.

Back in 2009, the Obama administration passed a $13 billion economic stimulus package to combat the Great Recession with about 89,000 checks worth $250 each sent to dead and incarcerated people, The Atlantic reported.

A 2010 audit by the Office of the Inspector General and the Social Security Administration found 71,688 of those checks went to the deceased. But 41,000 checks issued at that time in error were returned, The Wall Street Journal reported. Approximately $12 million in mistaken payments from 2009 was never returned, the Journal reported.

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