Florida

Florida Teacher Says Federal Stimulus Check Deposited Into Wrong Account

Mathews says she has used direct deposit for the last 15 years to get her tax return deposited automatically with no problem

Getty Images: Economic Stimulus Package Tax Rebate Checks Printed
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A teacher on Florida’s Treasure Coast said her stimulus check from the federal government during the coronavirus pandemic was deposited into the wrong bank account - but one sent to a deceased relative was deposited correctly.

Daphne Mathews said she was planning on using the check for a mini-vacation for her and her children. However, the Vero Beach resident told NBC affiliate WPTV-TV that the app used by the IRS telling her it was deposited was wrong.

“The discrepancy was that the last four digits in the account that was deposited, was not my bank account,” said Mathews.

Mathews says she has used direct deposit for the last 15 years to get her tax return with no problem, adding a tax preparer told her the account number may have been that of a bank card her family used and closed when the money was spent.

“Unfortunately, the same wrong digits appeared,” said Mathews. “This is an oversight that needs to be corrected."

The IRS said that anyone with errors will get a check sent to them by mail, while Mathews says her aunt in Alabama got her check deposited without a problem despite having died last summer.

“That’s kind of a family joke,” she said. “You didn’t get yours, but a deceased relative did receive hers.”

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