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Alerts
The Internal Revenue Service has issued a scam alert relating to bogus email messages to taxpayers informing them of a supposed tax refund. The official-looking email, which comes from tax-refunds.irs.gov, claims to be from the IRS and directs the consumer to a link requesting a Social Security number and credit card data for "verification." According to a release warning citizens of the scam, the IRS never will ask for personal identifying or financial information via unsolicited email. Neither do taxpayers have to fill out a special form to obtain a refund. We urge you never to respond to an email asking you to click through a link in the message to enter sensitive information on a web page. If in doubt, call the merchant or agency (but not using any telephone number given in the suspicious message) to determine whether they are trying to contact you. Identity Theft Revisited Several years ago a Laguna Niguel attorney, Mari Frank, was a victim of identity theft. Her previously spotless credit record was all but destroyed, and it took over 500 hours of her time and $10,000 to rectify it. Thanks to Ms. Frank's perseverence, her victimizer was finally prosecuted. However, because identity theft per se was not a crime at the time, the guilty party was sentenced to work furlough without jail time. Incensed by the injustice of this decision, Ms. Frank set out to change the system, becoming an advocate for those impacted by identity theft. Fortunately, her advocacy was successful, and more protections exist for consumers. In 1998, California and Federal laws were passed making identity theft a crime, with the individual (and not the organization extending credit) named as the victim. California police must now take crime reports in the victim's community, and any consumer may place a "security freeze" on his credit file. The public display of social security numbers is illegal in our state, and victims have the right to obtain any fraudulent papers used to get credit. Businesses must also advise consumers of security breaches exposing their personal data. back to top Internet Fraud Alert Isn't it exciting? You are a lucky lottery winner, and the only thing the generous lottery coordinator requires, by return e-mail, is your bank information so the winning check can be deposited to the account of your choice. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? And yet many are duped every day by such tricks of the con artist's trade. Have you been on the receiving end of a supposed e-mail from SunTrust, Washington Mutual, Wells Fargo or some other bank, asking you to follow the so-called "link" to confirm all of your banking information, due to the "increasing number of identity thefts targeting their customers"? Don't even think of complying with such a request! (Unless you would like to become one of their unfortunate victims, that is.) And what about the wonderful Christian woman or man who is dying any day now and wants to make a substantial bequest to you or your equally devout organization? Surely an e-mail peppered with scriptures and references to deity has to be on the level, right? Think again! Using religion to disarm potential victims is a favorite device of fraud perpetrators. Don't be fooled; be wary. back to top CitiBank Customer Scam An authentic-looking email arrives stating that identity theft has become a serious problem at CitiBank and asking you to confirm your banking details in order to "safeguard your account." There is even what appears to be an official "link" to the CitiBank web site where you should go to reveal this "mandatory" information. Be wary. Do not comply with this fraud. back to top Phony Interhitance Scams Beware of all-too-helpful emails from those claiming to "represent" banks in South Africa, China, and various European countries. These individuals claim to be aware of a large bank account that no one else knows about, whose owner has died unexpectedly. Of course, no heirs can be found, so the writer wants you to pose as an heir in order to split the funds between you. Naturally, you will need to supply your bank account and other personal information. Another variation is that a philanthropist with a large bank account has died and wants to "support your ministry and help to the less-privileged." Again, you must forward personal data so they can file probate documents to release the supposed bequest. Does it sound too good to be true? If so, it is. back to top California Nursing Homes Fail Inspections Sacramento, CA - January 30, 2004 - Surprise inspections of 150 California nursing homes revealed that many facilities did not meet minimum state health and safety standards. Problems included run-down living areas, fire safety violations, loose hand rails, pest infestations, improper food handling, and bad odors from urine and feces. 132 of the nursing homes had patient care violations such as over-medication, unreported elder abuse cases, preventable injuries, and failure to help disabled residents with personal hygiene. Over two-thirds of the nursing homes failed to provide each resident with the required 3.2 hours of care a day. Studies cite inadequate staffing as a major cause of nursing home abuse. For example, residents of nursing homes falling below minimal staffing standards are much more likely to develop serious bed sores and excess weight loss than those in other nursing homes. Operation Guardians, a task force led by the California Attorney General's office, conducted these inspections over a two-year period to address concerns about California nursing home care. One source of motivation was a 2000 report by the United States Congress Committee on Government Reform showing that only 18 of 288 San Francisco Bay Area nursing homes were in substantial compliance with federal care standards. How can you be certain the nursing home you and your loved ones utilize is adequate? Medicare's nursing home database (www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/Home.asp) offers details about each facility, including the number of beds, health condition of the residents, use of physical restraints, staff size and working hours, and violations found during inspections. A personal visit should also be conducted, where you can see for yourself whether residents are treated with dignity and respect, as well as provided with pleasant activities, good meals, and a caring staff. If you have a question about the legal rights of your elderly relative in a nursing home, please feel free to contact our offices. back to top Tax scams seem to be part and parcel of American life these days. One of the most recently conceived scams is aimed directly at family members of military personnel. It involves unscrupulous (and apparently unpatriotic) con artists who telephone unsuspecting parents, spouses and other relations of service men and women for the purpose of misrepresenting themselves as IRS agents. The devious callers indicate that all relatives of individuals serving in the Armed Forces are entitled to a $4,000 tax refund based on that service. A credit card number is then requested to supposedly cover a $42 fee for postage, but the caller in fact uses the number to make numerous unauthorized purchases. The IRS warns that no matter how convincing these callers may sound, genuine IRS employees do not ask for credit card numbers or request fees for payment of a refund. A second scheme features an e-mail that appears to be from the IRS and includes links to a rather convincing replica of an IRS Internet web page asking for personal and financial information. Of course, identity theft is the object, so it is important to remember that the IRS does not solicit sensitive personal or financial data by e-mail. In a third trick, swindlers mail out fictitious bank correspondence by mail, enclosing phony IRS forms in an attempt to obtain personal data. Don't be fooled! Again, genuine IRS forms will rarely ask for sensitive personal and financial information, except in very special circumstances. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration is reviewing all three frauds and requests that taxpayers who encounter any of these scams contact TIGTA by calling 1-800-366-4484, faxing a complaint to 202-927-7018, or writing to PO Box 589, Ben Franklin Station, Washington, D.C. 20044. back to top New Nigerian Money Con Small business owners are being victimized in large numbers by a new variation on the Nigerian money cons that have been so prevalent in recent years. In this version, an overseas buyer indicates that because it is hard to send money from a Third World country, he will need some minor assistance from the business owner. He goes on to explain that he has a friend in the United States who owes him money, and that his friend has agreed to send a check to cover the cost of purchase. Of course, no matter what the product, the check received is always more than the purchase price. The retailer is then asked to bank the check, keeping the money owed him for merchandise and refunding the balance to his Third World purchaser. Here's the catch: The original check sent to the victim is fraudulent, but the forgery is so expert that it takes weeks for the retailer's bank to identify it. Once the identification is made, the bank debits the victim's account for the full amount of the bad check. By then, he has already "refunded" money to the con artist, usually thousands of dollars, and is left without recourse. Susan Grant, Director of the National Fraud Information Center/Internet Fraud Watch in Washington D.C. offers this advice: If the buyer is asking you to wire some of the money back to them, it's a scam. Don't do it! There is no reason for someone to pay you in a way that requires you to wire money back to them. back
to top ATM Card Scheme Prescription
Drug Alert The IRS has released information regarding the latest tax scam to which over 80,000 Americans have fallen victim. Promoters of this scam deceive people into paying money to obtain advice on how to file claims with the IRS for "Slavery Reparations" or "Native American Reparations." These promoters advise their victims to file claims seeking from $40,000 to $80,000 in tax credits and refunds. While the Slavery Reparation scam has mainly impacted the southern states, the Native American Reparation scam may affect California as well. The IRS had previously been lenient with persons filing reparation claims, allowing two such claims to be filed before assessing penalties for filing a frivolous return. Currently, however, after a warning from the IRS, a potential $500 penalty may be assessed to the victim for filing of a frivolous return. Please remember that anything sounding too good to be true, probably is. To report a suspected tax fraud to the IRS, you can call 1-800-829-0433. |
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