COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH)– The second round of Advanced Child Tax Credit payments will arrive in mailboxes and bank accounts nationwide Friday, August 13, and scammers are aiming to snag some of that cash.

The IRS and the Better Business Bureau are warning against imposter scams, or con artists pretending to help you get your payments earlier or to get more money.

Jessica Kapcar from the BBB of Central Ohio explains how to identify red flags in order to protect yourself and your money.

“The IRS isn’t going to call or text you to get information or ask you for money to get those child tax credits,” said Kapcar. “So, if you get phone calls, text messages, emails, seemingly coming from government agencies, the IRS, asking you for information or asking you for money, those are some major red flags.”

According to the BBB, you can best protect your finances and personal information, by keeping them personal.

“Never giving out any personal identifying information — social security numbers, bank information, credit or debit card information. Making sure that you’re protecting that really closely,” said Kapcar.

If you have questions or concerns about the advanced payments, the BBB said as always, go straight to the source (not some number you found on Facebook). Go directly to the IRS https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021.

Be sure to check out previous stories (https://www.nbc4i.com/news/investigates/better-call-4/child-tax-credit-first-payments-begin-hitting-bank-accounts/) about the Advanced Child Tax Credit payments, how much you can expect, when, and how to opt-out of the monthly deposits.