I'm from the government and I'm here to help you.......

Scammers posing as employees of the Internal Revenue Service or the Social Security Administration are  running scams on people searching for anything from Social Security numbers to wire transfers of funds.

Often they are aided by phone spoofing, your caller ID with pop up with phony information.

The Internal Revenue Service will never initiate an inquiry via phone, they always start with a letter and they will usually only talk to you if you call them.

The Social Security Administration will rarely call you unless you have called them first. If you are suspicious hang up and call the number listed in your phone book, preferably for a local office.Never give anyone your SSN unless you have initiated the call and are 100% certain you are talking to a genuine person.

Neither agency will ever ask for wire transfers, or gift cards or Green Dot cards to be done immediately.

If pressured on the phone ask for a number and say "I am going to talk to my CPA" or "I am going to talk to my lawyer" and then hang up the phone! HANG UP THE PHONE.

Medicare, Obamacare, Trumpcare

Mailers, email ads, tv ads - all blaring out notices about the next great thing in health care insurance.

Most are at least some degree of fraud and many are outright fraud.

There is absolutely no such thing as Trumpcare, technically there is no such thing as Obamacare, and just about anybody can thrown the word Medicare into an ad without being legitimate.

Buyer beware, very very beware.

Scams Galore

Tis the season.

The scammers are out in full force. They have all sort of clever ways to scare old people.

One tip off is when they need immediate payment, by Western Union, Green Dot cards, or now gift cards. This is not how anyone legitimate works.

If you get a call that a grandchild has been kidnapped, or arrested, or the IRS needs payment today * , ask for a call back number and hang up. Then make calls to find out where your family is really at.

Do not be alarmed into making a terrible mistake.



*the IRS never initiates contact via telephone, always by mail

"Tis the Season - Scams

This year gift card scams seem to be the hot, hot thing.

Buy your gift cards from reputable stores or well known websites. Be careful of "too good to be true" sales.

Cash can be a Problem Part I

As a result of the "war on drugs" and attempts to thwart international money laundering the federal government has created a problem for ordinary people. Using cash can be a problem.

Cash transactions of $10,000 or more are reported to the IRS by your bank.

Cash transactions less than $10,000 can be reported to the IRS if your bank suspects you of "structuring," that is, structuring deposits to consistently stay below the $10,000.

Some senior citizens prefer to deal in cash, but just understand that cash is viewed as a problem.

If you are stopped by a police officer and are found to be carrying a large amount of cash, the police may seize the cash even if they find no evidence of any criminal activity. These "civil asset forfeitures" have been a legal but controversial funding source for many local governments. If you are a minority the odds of having your cash seized are higher. Some courts have recently rediscovered the Constitution, so there is hope.

Going out of the country? There are special rules for cash and funds transfers, so check before you fly.

Use common sense and check the rules ahead of time.

Medicare, Trumpcare, Obamacare

Anyone over the age of 55 gets a steady stream of insurance advertising materials, and anyone who watches television sees a steady stream of commercials for health care insurance.

Just because an advertising uses the word Medicare does not make it anything official, in fact most such advertising is suspicious. There are legitimate advertisements for Medicare supplements.  Be careful.

There is no such thing as "Trumpcare" and legally there is no such thing as "Obamacare," just a nickname.

And remember, cheap insurance is.......cheap, which means not good.

Paying for Tax Cuts

The Republicans passed massive tax cuts that will explode the deficit for the next decade (at least).

How to minimize the damage?

The House Republicans are proposing significant changes to Medicare, which will increase the out-of-pocket costs of most beneficiaries.

But didn't President Trump promise to protect Medicare?  This is now defined as "protecting Medicare."

Stay tuned.