The US Treasury Sent More Than $1.4 Billion in Stimulus to Dead People

"I wish I was dead" isn't something that most people would say...until now.

Have you received your stimulus payment yet? It seems like more people are seeing these than unemployment right now, whether they were direct deposited, or you received a check in the mail, signed by Donald Trump.

Now, here's the rub - the Government Accountability Office is saying that the United States Treasury has issued more than $1.4 billion in stimulus checks to people who are no longer with us.

The payments were part of the CARES Act, which was signed in mid-March. Not only did it provide stimulus checks to many Americans; it also provided small business loans and added more to unemployment benefits. Those whose gross income is $75,000 or less are eligible for a one-time payment of up to $1,200, plus $500 per child.

It started to circulate back in April that stimulus checks were going out to people who had passed away; some of those with checking accounts that were still open had a direct deposit from the government which, of course, they requested be returned immediately.

Eligibility for stimulus checks was based on 2018 and 2019 tax returns so, for people like my mom, who passed in 2018, there was a chance that she received stimulus money.

DISCLAIMER: I tried logging into her bank account; it's been deactivated.

While they ARE asking that the money be returned, they're not giving a lot of information on HOW to return it.

This is also a friendly reminder to close your dead loved ones' bank accounts.