What to do if you've thrown away your stimulus debit card is up. This article was originally published on May 29, 2020.

Don't throw away your stimulus check. Unfortunately, that's exactly what some people think is a scam.

The confusion stems from the fact that the stimulus checks are paid in the form of a generic debit card in a plain white envelope from a company called Money Network Cardholder Services in Omaha, Nebraska.

The background of the card shows a close-up of the American flag, but nowhere on the card or the envelope is there any indication that this is an official product of the U.S. government.

"My husband looked at it, skimmed it, and said, 'Do you want this? Bonnie Moore of Englewood, Florida, told WINK-TV. 'The next thing I knew, I was in the trash trying to pull out all the pieces.

Zach Stanton, editor of the Washington, D.C.-based news site Politico, tweeted, "I almost threw it out with the junk mail too."

But believe it or not, the debit card that looks like a scam is real. Perhaps anticipating confusion, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains in an online FAQ, "This is not a scam."

"The Economic Impact Card will arrive in a plain envelope from 'Money Network Cardholder Services' with important information about the card, activation instructions, fees, and a note from the U.S. Treasury Department," the FAQ says, but the note However, it seems that there is not always a warning. On the front of the card itself are the words "VISA" and "DEBIT," and on the back are the words "MetaBank, N.A.," the issuing bank.

Instructions on how to activate and use the stimulus-paid debit card can be found at eipcard.com. After receiving the card, taxpayers must call 1-800-240-8100 to verify their identity. Once the PIN is set and the signature is on the back of the card, the stimulus payment card should work like any other debit card.

If you are still unsure if the card you received is a stimulus check, you can use the IRS Get My Payment app to track the progress of payments in the system. After entering personal information on a simple form, the free online tool will tell you if the check has been sent or delivered.

Similarly, the USPS Informed Delivery Service provides exciting check notifications so you know exactly when your payment was deposited in your mailbox.

Fortunately, there is an easy way to get another stimulus-paid debit card, even if you have discarded or cut off your original card.

Simply call the toll-free number above (1-800-240-8100) and ask for a new card.

Technically, there is a $7.50 fee, but a Treasury Department spokesperson told the Washington Post that the fee is waived for first-time requesters. However, if you want the replacement card sent by Priority Mail, you may have to pay $17.

When calling the toll-free number, it helps if you know the card number on the original card. Otherwise, one must wait for a human operator. One card recipient told USA Today that he gave up waiting for a human and wrote a letter instead.