skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

New Yorkers Warned of Scams During Rebate Check Mailings

play audio
Play

Tuesday, October 7, 2014   

NEW YORK - Checks will soon be in the mail for many New Yorkers who are due tax rebates from the state, and consumer advocates warn this is a prime time to be on guard for scammers.

According to Chris Widelo, associate state director of AARP New York, many families who have at least one dependent are due Family Relief tax-rebate checks for several hundred dollars. Widelo warns New Yorkers to keep an eye on their mailboxes and be on guard for incoming phone calls from people claiming they can help get those rebates.

"The checks are going to be in mailboxes very shortly," he says. "This is going to be a target of scammers who are trying to get that money from you, or to get your identity in the process."

New York families who claimed at least one dependent and earned between $40,000 and $300,000 a year are due for the checks this month. Widelo says New Yorkers who suspect they have been a victim of a scam should contact the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Line at 1-800-771-7755.

Widelo notes that New York State has already determined which families qualify, so anyone calling and claiming they can help get a rebate is probably "up to no good."

"You want to avoid anybody who is calling you and saying, 'in order to receive your family relief tax credit you need to provide me with certain information,'" he says. "The Department of Taxation would not be calling you to ask for that information, and I think it's good practice to never give your personal information over the phone."

Widelo says New Yorkers expecting rebate checks for the Property Star Tax Rebate Program should also take precautions. Both rebates were authorized by the Cuomo administration and are likely targets for scammers looking to make an easy buck.

More information on the potential New York tax rebate scams can be found at AARP's Fraud Watch Network page.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021