Are you still waiting for your economic impact payment (also known as a stimulus check) to arrive? Originally, we thought these payments were being made by either direct deposit or a check, but that is no longer the case. It turns out that the U.S. Department of the Treasury is now issuing stimulus checks via prepaid debit cards.

According to a press release on the Treasury’s website, “Treasury and the IRS are starting to send nearly 4 million Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) by prepaid debit card, instead of by paper check.”

In the press release, Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin explained why the switch was made from paper checks to debit cards.

“Treasury and the IRS have been working with unprecedented speed to issue Economic Impact Payments to American families. Prepaid debit cards are secure, easy to use, and allow us to deliver Americans their money quickly.”

That all sounds great, but there’s one problem. What if you already got the debit card in the mail and thought it was junk mail? That’s exactly what happened to a woman who lives in Belton, Texas.

Vicki Wade almost threw away her economic impact payment because it wasn’t clearly marked as being from the Treasury or the IRS. She didn’t recognize the return address or the bank mentioned on the card. When she called to activate the card, she was prompted to enter the last four digits of her social security number, which also seemed suspicious.

Wade told her story to 6 News, and they investigated, discovering that the card was legit. Watch the video below for details.

If you think that you might have accidentally thrown away your economic impact payment, call 1-800-240-8100 to find out how to get a replacement card.

Does it surprise you that stimulus checks are now being issued via prepaid debit card?