Dear Raider, A friend of mine told me that there has been an uptick in tax season scams, where identity thefts and refund thefts are taking place. What is this all about so we can stay vigilant? Thanks for your help! Rhee Fundthefft — Dear Rhee, Unfortunately, this is correct. Last year, the IRS received […]
Protect Yourself from Being Scammed — Cybersecurity Awareness Training, Identity Theft Insurance, Forgery Insurance
Q. I have heard that identity theft and forgery theft have been more rampant than ever. I can’t imagine being the victim of either of these horrible crimes. Besides being vigilant (including reading your articles to learn how to spot scams), are there any other ways for someone to protect themselves in connection with these […]
Customers Are Being Misled by Marketers into Signing Up for Certain Private Medicare Advantage Plans
Medicare Advantage plans now enroll nearly half of all Medicare beneficiaries, but some consumers are being misled because of the aggressive marketing campaigns by certain Medicare Advantage plans, and because of the fact that the federal government calls these types of plans “advantage plans,” leading consumers to believe that they provide some kind of advantage, […]
Scam Targeting Tax Refunds
Dear Bebe, I read something about a scam where computers belonging to tax preparers are being breached, people are getting fake refunds deposited into their accounts, and then being asked to return the money to scam artists. How can I prevent this from happening to me? Thanks! Fay Kreefund — Dear Fay, The IRS recently […]
One Typo Could Cost You Your Computer
Q. My sister-in-law Janet is always on Facebook. She loves seeing what her children and grandchildren are up to, catching up with old friends, and playing Scrabble. She is a quick typist, and one day, in her haste, she recalls accidently typing “www.Facebookc.om.” Before she could correct it, she was redirected to a series of […]
Protecting My Mother from Scams
Dear Angel, I recently visited my 80-year old mother, who is in the early stages of dementia. I noticed boxes of items that were mailed to her, including tons of magazines about body building and deep sea fishing (both of which don’t interest her), and a pile of sweepstakes she entered. I would like to […]