My refund was approved by the IRS and set to be deposited on 2/24. I just received a check from the US Treasury today in the mail for a few grand? Anyone see this before

[CarissaM]

Was the check in the same amount as your refund would have been?

I would suggest following the instructions here to reach out to the IRS to see why the check was mailed. 

[fanfare]

"Anyone see this before"

Yes, IRS mails a lot of checks.

[SweetieJean]

Per the IRS:

I requested a direct deposit refund. Why are you mailing it to me as a paper check?

There are three possible reasons. They are as follows:

• We can only deposit refunds electronically into accounts in your own name, your spouse's name or in a joint account.
• A financial institution may reject a direct deposit.
• We can’t deposit more than three electronic refunds into a single financial account.

Tax Season Refund Frequently Asked Questions | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov)

[bkilwy]

It was not even in the same ballpark.  I tried contacting the IRS and they are not accepting calls die to high call volume.

[fanfare]

did you get unemployment comp in 2020 and file early?

If so, it's your 2020 UEC refund.

[Critter-3]

First it could be a fraudulent check ... be careful if someone calls from the "IRS" and asks you to send the money back in any fashion.  If you deposit the check don't try to spend any of it for at least 2 weeks as the check may bounce if it is a fraud. 

Next look at the memo section ... sometimes there is a clue as to what it is for if it is legit.