Sketchy Fund Raisers

A group that raised more than $20 million online to "build the wall" for President Trump bought a yacht and apparently partied through much of the money.

Some "charities" spend 85-95% of their funds on administration and fund raising.

Daily there are on-line charity appeals for specific cases and various on-going charities. And then there are the political pitches. Some are outright phony, and some are deceptive.

Many smaller political action committees (PACs) and some charities burn up most of their money on administration and more fund raising, so they can then pay themselves bigger salaries.

Charities in particular use "words" to pull at your wallet. "Veterans" and "cancer" are two of the best magic words for sketchy fund raisers.

Do some homework before giving money to charity or political causes, especially smaller and lesser known charities.

Miracle Cures

Advertisements abound for miracle cures for seniors.

Stem cells:

Stem cell clinics are popping up everywhere promising cures and possibly a fountain of youth.

There is scant valid evidence that stem cells cure much of anything in seniors, especially aging. They will make your wallet skinny.

Cheap surgery:

Several Florida plastic surgery clinics are losing licenses due to killing and mutilating patients.

The lure was cheap plastic surgery. Cheap and surgery are not really compatible.

Some of the clinics were owned by felons with no medical background. Oops.

Medical Tourism:

Travel to Mexico or India and get surgery for less money.

Sometimes this works very well, sometimes it is a disaster.

Buyer beware.



 

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.