For every honest dollar earned there are a dozen con artists just waiting to steal it.
It is imperative that seniors in particular protect themselves from scam artists. Seniors are often targets because of their retirement savings and the fact that they are accessible, often at home to take the phone call. Also, if a young person becomes a target of a scam, they have an entire lifetime to recapture their savings. However, once a senior becomes a target, they have little or no opportunity to recover. In every edition we will give our readers tips on how to prevent becoming a target as well as a heads up on some of the popular scams out there.
The Internal Revenue Service and the Michigan Department of Treasury issued the following alert in February of 2002, but it continues to hold true today: There is a scam which is often conducted by e-mail. Some taxpayers have received e- mail from a non-IRS source indicating that a taxpayer is under audit and needs to complete a questionnaire within 48 hours to avoid the assessment of penalties and interest. The e-mail refers to an "e-audit" and references Form 1040. The taxpayer is asked to give social security numbers, bank account numbers and other confidential information.
The IRS does not conduct e-audits, nor does it notify taxpayers of a pending audit via e-mail. This e-mail is not from the IRS. Do not provide the requested information, as this may be an attempt to commit identity theft! If you receive an e-mail of this nature, the IRS is asking that you report it to the Internal Revenue Service office in your area. The number can be found in your local directory under U.S. Government, Treasury Department, Internal Revenue Service, or by calling directory assistance.
Another questionable, as opposed to illegal, practice was brought to my attention by the Oakland County Health nurses, a very dedicated group of professionals. Apparently there are some local physicians teaming up with pharmaceutical companies offering a free Memory Screening Clinic. A one-month free supply of medication is being offered for participating. One catch is that a representative from the pharmaceutical company is conducting the assessments. We feel strongly that a gerontologist should be the one to assess individuals since a complicated diagnosis may be involved. We highly recommend that if you are having memory or concentration problems that you contact your physician and ask for a referral to a specialist trained in gerontology.
