Recently the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) issued a scam alert relating to to stimulus and tax rebate checks. Please take the time to read the alert.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and U.S. Department of Justice are warning consumers about emails and phone calls from scammers claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). The IRS does not gather information for rebates by telephone. Nor does it send unsolicited email to taxpayers about tax account matters. Filing a tax return is the only way to apply for a tax refund; there is no separate application form. Similarly, if you get an email out of the blue from someone claiming to be from the IRS that asks you to call a phone number or email back your personal information, don't click any links. Instead forward it to www.phishing@irs.gov and then delete it. Clicking on a link in an unsolicited email carries risks of spyware, pagejacking, and phisisng - threats that can lead to the theft of your identity. The only official IRS Web site is located at www.irs.gov. visit www.OnGuardOnline.gov/phishing for more information about phishing scams.

Here comes some pertinent tax / ID theft prevention items:

• Lock up your personal information. This includes all tax information, bank statements, credit card statements and unpaid bills. Yes, even at home; do you really know everything about your guests?
• Don't fall for scams. During the distribution of rebate checks, no one will contact you for personal information and this includes your bank or the government.
• Don't respond to requests to verify personal information unless you have actually initiated the contact. Don't share any indentifying information over a cordless or cell phone.
• Shred. This includes anything of a personal or financial matter, ecspecially those credit card offers.
• Review your mail. Check monthly credit card and banking statements for unfamiliar or unauthorized activities.
• Check your credit report. The law entitles you to at least one free credit report from Equifax, Experian and Trans Union each year. If you get one report from each entity spaced out properly, you could get a free credit report every 4 months.
• Report supicious activity immediately. Notify the authorities of any activity you did not authorize as it relates to any financial or personal matter.
• Mailbox. Get your mail immediately and never leave outgoing mail for the courier to pick up.

Following these simple tips now and all year will help to protect yourself from ID theft.

Cordless / Cell Phone Safety


Many of us use cordless and / or cell phones in our daily activities. What we don’t think about is the fact that those types of phones are actually mini radio transmitters. This means that everything you say is transmitted over the air and can possibly be intercepted by people who have receiving or listening devices. Although certain FCC rules prohibit monitoring of conversations that take place with these types of phones, anyone with some basic electronic knowledge can build such a device.

With this in mind you are asked to be very cautious about what type of information you are sharing over cordless and cell phones. Never give any information that you would consider confidential or that may relate to your personal identity. If you do need to relay this type of information over the phone please switch to a good old fashioned hard wired telephone to cut down on the chances of that information being intercepted.

Information considered confidential or related to your personal identity includes:

• Social Security Number
• Drivers License Number
• Date of Birth
• Bank Account Numbers
• Credit Card Numbers
• Banking and Credit Card Passwords or PIN’s
• Medicare / Medicaid Identification Numbers

Also, keep in mind that this information should only be shared with well known and trusted individuals. Never share it with telemarketers and be very leery of people posing as your bank or other service providers.