Americans are cutting up and throwing away their stimulus debit cards, mistakenly thinking it's a scam

The Treasury Department announced last week that it would send around 4 million debit cards loaded with stimulus payments to Americans.
Some people are mistaking the plain envelope as junk mail or a scam, according to local news reports, and even cutting up the card.
The debit card costs $7.50 to replace and ships within seven to 10 business days, plus another fee for priority mail.
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If you're still waiting on your stimulus check , double-check your mail pile.

Last week, the Treasury Department announced plans to send around 4 million prepaid Visa debit cards instead of paper checks to remaining recipients.

The debit cards formally called EIP Cards and issued by MetaBank are arriving in "plain envelopes" from Money Network Cardholder Services, according to the Internal Revenue Service. They are not marked with the IRS or Treasury Department seals.

According to local news reports and several tweets , many recipients are mistaking the envelopes for junk mail or a scam, and some are even tossing it in the garbage.

The Detroit Free Press reported that a woman in Des Moines, Iowa, cut up her debit card almost immediately after receiving it because it was unfamiliar and she had no interest in having a debit card. When she realized it was her stimulus payment, she called the customer service number that came with the card but wasn't able to get in touch with a human representative.

A couple in Florida thought the debit card was a scam and "cut it up in little pieces," WINK News reported .

The cost of a replacement card is $7.50, according to EIPCard.com , and ships within seven to 10 business days. Priority shipping costs an additional $17.

Heres what the prepaid debit card looks like

The front of the Visa debit card is printed with stars and the recipient's name. The Money Network trademark is printed on the back along with the MetaBank logo.

stimulus check debit card eip EIPCard.com

In the envelope with the debit card areinstructions on how to activate the card. Only one card will be provided per family. The cards can be used to withdraw cash from an ATM, transfer funds to a bank account, or make purchases wherever Visa is accepted.

In most cases, there's no fee associated with using the EIP Card. There are a few exceptions, though, including when you make balance inquiries or withdrawals from out-of-network ATMs or international ATMs; request a replacement for a lost or stolen card; or make more than one cash withdrawal over the counter at a bank.