Love E-filing? Here’s What You Need to Know to Protect Yourself From Tax-Related Fraud

As we dive deeper into the “digital age” many more of us are turning to online resources to file our tax returns. And why not? It saves time and money, makes the task of gathering information about our expenses, assets, income and relevant tax codes less daunting and allows us to receive tax refunds more quickly. According to the IRS, 90% of online filers receive their refunds within three weeks or less, as opposed to paper filers whose returns often take much longer to process (not to mention that there’s no sure-fire way to know whether your return has even been received).

Even the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) advocates for electronically filed tax returns over paper, and has reported a 7.5% increase in self-prepared taxes in 2014,compared to 2013.  

As we prepare for tax season, however, it’s important to stay informed about scams that target e-filers. The IRS is warning about new tax phishing scams. Phishing can be described as “the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.” These malicious messages vary, but they are all after one common goal: monetary profit.

Individuals sending e-mails like the one above aim to collect as much personal information (i.e. your name and Social Security number) as possible, in order to file a fake tax return and collect a refund.  The scammers disguise their identity, impersonating IRS officials, TurboTax, and other companies/organizations alike, claiming they need your personal information so you may successfully file taxes online or receive a tax return.

Most of these e-mails lead the message recipients to select a link where they complete a form about themselves, while in other situations, a link can download malware (malicious software) onto a computer, compromising the stored information within the device.

The IRS advises taxpayers to ignore these fraudulent e-mails, urging users to avoid clicking on these suspicious links. The IRS, by the way, will never contact you via e-mail to ask for your personal or financial details. If you’re suspicious about a message you’ve received, send it to phishing@irs.gov.    

Filing your taxes online provides tremendous cost savings and other benefits, but it’s always prudent to be aware of activities that appear suspicious. QUESTION the things you see online, CHECK for validity, and ASK your friends or neighbors.

Resources to help keep you safe:

To obtain more information on other tax-related scams, you can learn more here: http://tinyurl.com/hvvny4g

What if you have already fallen victim of your tax refunds being stolen? Find out ways you can recover: http://tinyurl.com/hotl4zz

The Piers Project is funded by a gift from the family estate of Ellie Piers to benefit the FrontPorch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing’s (CIW’s) ongoing mission of using technology to enhance wellbeing among older adults. Piers lived at Carlsbad By The Sea, a Front Porch retirement community in Carlsbad, CA. Her contribution allows the CIW to address cyber security through education, training, and the use of technologies that promote Internet safety, especially in the greater San Diego area.

Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing Hosts Twitter Chat On Cyber Security

On October 6th, 2016, in honor of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing hosted a Twitter chat (#SrCyberChat), along with partners, AARP Fraud Watch Network (@aarpca) HelloTech (@hellotech), Serving Seniors (@servingseniors), St. Barnabas Senior Services (@SBSSla) to facilitate greater awareness of cyber security issues affecting older adults. 

This chat was part of the Piers Project, funded by a gift from the family estate of Ellie Piers to benefit the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing’s ongoing mission of using technology to enhance wellbeing among older adults. Piers lived at Carlsbad By The Sea, a Front Porch retirement community in Carlsbad, CA. 

What follows is a transcript of our discussion. Enjoy!

The Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing to host Twitter Chat on Cyber Security

The Internet offers us some amazing benefits—we can communicate instantly with loved ones, share priceless moments with friends, quickly pay bills and experience a level of convenience never before available. But with this ever-expanding world of access to information and resources, it’s important to stay educated on how to protect ourselves and our privacy online. 

According to U.S. Department of Homeland Security, many of the crimes that occur in real life are now done or facilitated through the Internet. Theft, abuse, and more can now all be done online. Particularly alarming is the fact that many scammers target older adults and prey upon their vulnerability via emails and websites in such forms as charitable donations, dating services, auctions, health care, and prescription medicine. 

Consider these statistics affecting older Americans today:

• 59% of Americans aged 65 and above are reported to use the Internet[i] 
• Only 1 in 14 cases of elder abuse are brought to the attention of authorities[ii]
• In 2010, for every incident of violent crime, three incidents of Internet crime were committed against seniors[iii]
• Older adults lost $2.9 billion to financial abuse in 2011[iv]

What is the Piers Project?

Through education, training, and the use of technologies that promote Internet safety the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing hopes to facilitate greater awareness of cyber security issues affecting older adults. The Piers Project is funded by a gift from the family estate of Ellie Piers to benefit the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing’s (CIW) ongoing mission of using technology to enhance wellbeing among older adults. Piers lived at Carlsbad By The Sea, a Front Porch retirement community in Carlsbad, CA.

Who will be participating?

There will be a panel representing several different organizations participating, including cyber security experts and senior service providers. The panel will address key issues/topics of cyber security among the older adult population.

Just a few of our partners that will be joining the conversation are: AARP Fraud Watch  Network (@aarpca) HelloTech  (@hellotech), Serving Seniors (@servingseniors)

St. Barnabas Senior Services (@SBSSla)

Why join and follow the chat live?

To gain more knowledge and share our findings with older adults, senior service providers, and others in the field of aging. The Piers Project initiative is our call to action!

Some sample questions discussed throughout the live chat will be:

Q1 What do you think are some common online/email scams targeting seniors today?

Q2 What makes older adults vulnerable to online fraud? 

Q3 What do you think contributes to the growing number of unreported fraud among older adults?

Q4 What can we do to help seniors avoid fear of using the Internet and promote safe online behavior?

Q5 What are some best practices in online safety that older adults can use to better protect themselves?

Q6 What can organizations serving older adult communities do to help spread awareness of cyber security and elder abuse online?

Q7 What educational resources or tips would you suggest for the preservation of cyber security?

Come prepared for a meaningful dialogue and sharing of ideas, information, tools and helpful tips!

How do you join?

Join @FrontPorchCS and search for #SrCyberChat on Thursday, October 6th from 10-11:00A.M. Pacific Standard Time. For more information on National Cyber Security Awareness Month visit https://www.dhs.gov/national-cyber-security-awareness-month)

[i] Smith, Aaron. “Older Adults and Technology use.” Pew Internet Center, 3 Apr. 2014. Web. 4 Jan. 2016. http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2014/04/PIP_Seniors-and-Tech-Use_040314.pdf

[ii] Bonnie, Richard J. and Wallace, Robert B. “Elder mistreatment: Abuse, neglect and exploitation in an aging America.” The National Academies Press, 2003. Web. 4 Jan. 2016. http://www.nap.edu/read/10406/chapter/1

[iii] Bick, Jonathan. “Internet Crime and the Elderly: Enhanced penalties could prevent online targeting of senior citizens.” New Jersey Law Journal, 1 Aug 2011. Web. 4 Jan. 2016. http://www.bicklaw.com/publications/e-elderlaw.htm

[iv] MetLife Mature Market Institute. “MetLife Study of Elder Financial Abuse: Crimes of occasion, desperation, and predation against America’s Elders.” National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse, 2011. Web. 4 Jan. 2016. https://www.metlife.com/assets/cao/mmi/publications/studies/2011/mmi-elder-financial-abuse.pdf 

   

 

Protect Yourself from Health Care Scams

The Piers Project, an internet safety awareness campaign of the Center for Innovation and Wellbeing, offers helpful tips on how to stay safe online.

The Internet offers an abundance of health information resources that help consumers make more informed choices—it provides us with access to researching health conditions, medications, health services, and the ability to sign up for health plans. However, as it’s the case with many open marketplaces, it’s also important to know how to spot healthcare fraud.

Health care scams come in different forms, such as falsely presented television ads, phone calls, e-mails, or other schemes that claim the need for additional healthcare identification cards due to newly established laws. Questionable service vendors may also lure consumers through the promise of significant discounts on health insurance costs. Other types of scammers may impersonate government officials, requesting Medicare identification numbers from older adults to send updated beneficiary cards. It’s important to always remain cautious and knowledgeable of current events, as scammers often plan to execute their attacks when Medicare and other national health programs undergo changes that are widely discussed throughout the media.

Here are some tips we would like to pass on to you:

- Research to confirm if statements made are actually correct. Prior to sharing your private information, contact Medicare (1-800-MEDICARE) to confirm the mentioned changes or requests. Share what you know or have learned with your friends and relatives.

- If you are looking for medical discount plans, keep in mind that they are not a substitute for health insurance. Medical discount plans typically offer coverage for services your insurance would not reimburse. Research further to validate licensure regarding the plan.

• To research the most recent health plans and associated costs, visit: https://www.healthcare.gov/apply-and-enroll/health-insurance-plans-estimator-overview/
• To find assistance when shopping for health insurance, visit: https://www.healthcare.gov/apply-and-enroll/get-help-applying/

- Exercise caution when you are shopping for products or services that specifically target older adults such as: health insurance packages, beauty or “anti-aging” products, medications and dietary/vitamin supplements, fitness equipment, medical treatments, therapies, or surgeries.


To learn more about health scams, please be sure to visit The Federal Trade Commission: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0394-suspect-health-care-scam


The Piers Project is funded by a gift from the family estate of Ellie Piers to benefit the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing’s (CIW’s) ongoing mission of using technology to enhance wellbeing among older adults. Piers lived at Carlsbad by the Sea, a Front Porch retirement community in Carlsbad, CA. Her contribution allows the CIW to address Cyber Security through education, training, and the use of technologies that promote Internet safety, especially in the Greater San Diego Area.

Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing Receives Grant to Confront Online Security Among Seniors

Many people are victims of Internet scams. Others are concerned about online security for themselves and their loved ones. Some of the most vulnerable are seniors.

Ellie Piers

To help confront online security issues, Ellie Piers, a Carlsbad By The Sea resident for many years, bequeathed a generous monetary gift to Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing.

The gift will benefit the Center's ongoing mission of using technology to enhance wellbeing among older adults. Her contribution will allow the CIW to confront the issue of elder security by using adaptive technologies to develop initiatives related to senior online security, specifically in the Greater San Diego Area.

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, elder abuse is a significant public health problem. Each year, hundreds of thousands of adults over the age of 60 are abused, neglected, or financially exploited. In the United States alone, more than 500,000 older adults are believed to be abused or neglected each year with many such crimes believed to be not reported or under-reported.
  

"We are honored and grateful that Ellie has chosen to contribute to Front Porch in hopes of benefitting others," said Kari Olson, President of the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing. "The Center has been interested in addressing the topic of senior online security and her gift will give us a unique opportunity to focus on this important area of wellbeing. We are honored to pay tribute to Ellie's memory and passion to help others by making a difference." [READ MORE]