Internet Scams
It’s a great big world but in the last century technology has been making it smaller and bringing it closer. The internet has accomplished more in making the world accessible than even the invention of air travel, because the world is at your fingertips without you ever having to leave home. But it also opens the doors for thieves and scam artists who continually find new methods to swindle.
The newest rash of emails being sent on “phishing” expeditions purport to come from the IRS and promise the recipient of the email a tax refund that they have recently discovered to be owed. This technique may be even more effective than the scam emails using fake PayPal and eBay sites because no one ignores or deletes the IRS.
If you receive one of these emails, contact the IRS.
It’s wonderful that you provide valuable safety information to seniors. One safety/fraud prevention item to consider (and one you might like to let your readers know about in the main blog), is for seniors to get direct deposit of their social security checks.
Important Information:
• You are 30 times more likely to have a problem with your federal benefit check than with your direct deposit payment. Problems with direct deposit are very rare and quickly fixed.
• Direct deposit eliminates the risk of stolen checks; you can take comfort in the fact that your money is safe in your account.
• With direct deposit, your money goes straight into your account, helping protect you from identity theft and fraud.
To sign up, you can call 800-333-1795 or visit http://www.godirect.org
By Jenny Kephart on July 14th, 2006 at 3:59 pm
That’s very good advice. Another plus is that electronic transfers are usually done very early on the deposit date so the money is in the bank and available sooner.
Always cautious, I checked out your link and verfied it with the Social Security Administration’s website as well and happily found it is a valid link.
Thanks for stopping by and for taking time not only to comment, but also for pointing out another very important step that people can take to protect themselves and their money.
Andrea (aka Ned)
By Ned on July 15th, 2006 at 12:01 pm