Brindisi Says Constituents Have Mistaken Stimulus Debit Cards for Junk Mail

Thousands of dollars in coronavirus recovery money sent out by the Federal government may literally be in the trash. 

Congressman Anthony Brindisi says he’s trying to help residents who got mail with misspelled names and a non-governmental-looking return address among other suspicious indicators, that they threw away as junk, not knowing it contained their CARES Act stimulus debit card.

Along with the misspellings, the return address had the dubious “Money Network Cardholder Services” tag that pretty much looks like any unsolicited credit card most residents have seen and tossed in the trash in the past.

The Democrat says he’s heard from countless constituents who received prepaid debit cards that looked like they were made by scammers instead of the Treasury Department.  Many of those residents, weary of junk mail, threw $1200 dollars in the garbage.

Brindisi says he’s asking the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service to improve their processes, explain what happened and to fix it.

Brindisi says he wants any and all replacement fees waived for residents who may have lost or thrown out their debit card thinking it was junk mail, clearly identify on the outside of the envelope of any subsequent mailed economic impact payment and oversee the creation of an easy and free way for people to transfer the full balance of the debit card payment into their checking account if they don’t have access to the internet. 

Constituents can call the Congressman's Binghamton office at (607) 242-0200 or through Brindisi's website: