ANCHOR Payments Pulled From Some NJ Residents' Accounts: Report

NEW JERSEY — The New Jersey Division of Taxation has pulled ANCHOR payments out of some taxpayers' accounts due to possible fraud, according to a report.

Payments began going out in mid-October for the state's property tax benefit program, but some residents who received a direct deposit had it taken away, as NJ.com reported Wednesday. The webpage for residents to check the status of their ANCHOR benefit has also been offline since last week due to "technical difficulties."

The payments are being diverted back to the Division of Taxation while the state investigates"suspected fraud in a number of accounts," the report said. A spokesperson did not specify how many residents were affected, and said that the state agency will issue paper checks to all verified taxpayers instead.

Residents have also been posting on social media to say the state abruptly pulled the ANCHOR payments out of their bank accounts.

Patch has reached out to the Department of the Treasury for more information.

As for the ANCHOR benefit status check tool, state officials said they expect it to be back online Thursday morning at 7 a.m.