Stimulus Payments in Visa Debit Card By Mail is Not a Scam

If you have been waiting on your stimulus payment, it may be possible that it will be mailed to you as a Visa prepaid card. Here is a little public service announcement that many people need to know. If you receive a plain envelope in the mail that is marked “Money Network Cardholder Services”, do not throw it away. Yes, it looks like junk mail. Yes, it looks like a scam. But, it is a real stimulus payment. According to KLFY, about 4 million U.S. Citizens have received their stimulus payment via Visa prepaid debit cards like the one pictured below. The Better Business Bureau says they've been getting calls regarding these prepaid debit cards that people are receiving that say it is their economic stimulus payment.

The plain envelope contains a prepaid debit card that is loaded with the amount owed to you for your stimulus payment, which can be up to $1,200 for single taxpayers. The cards are marked Visa debit card and the back of the card has a log for MetaBank.

Many people are confused and have thrown them away or cut them up. We are being swarmed by scam artists and junk mail that we expect an unmarked envelope to be just that. The whole stimulus payment process has been extremely confusing for so many. Some explanation would be nice, but it seems like many are left to figure it all out on their own. Some payments have been direct deposit, some by checks in the mail, some by Direct Express cards connected to federal programs, and now we are finding out about these Visa debit cards being mailed out.

This card is called an EIP Card. (Economic Impact Payment card) Learn more about it here.