AUGUSTA, Maine – The hectic holiday season is prime time for scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers, but with the right information, you can avoid becoming a victim.

Jane Margesson, communications director of AARP Maine, says bogus or fake charity scams are very common this time of the year when people are likely to be feeling generous. While most appeals are legitimate, she urges Mainers to be very cautious of unsolicited phone calls, emails and texts looking for donations. She says it's important to know exactly where your money will go.

"If you go to, for example, Charitywatch.org or charitynavigator.org, you can actually check out a charity for their legitimacy before you send any money to them," she says.

With so much shopping being done online, Margesson says it's important to be careful about offers received by email. Some may take you to fake websites that steal your credit card information. While mobile devices have made online shopping much easier to accomplish on the go, she recommends sensitive information never be sent over unsecured, public Wi-Fi where activity is potentially visible to hackers.

Shopping for a gift card? Margesson advises purchasing gift cards directly from a store clerk and have them confirm the balance to ensure the card has not already been drained by scammers.

"They can actually grab the gift card right off of a busy kiosk and record the codes and the numbers from the back of the card, so then when you go and purchase that card and you activate it, they have a way to actually spend the money before you have a moment to give it," she warns.

Margesson says an added layer of protection from holiday schemes is to place a freeze on your credit report. It can be done for free in Maine with all three major credit bureaus.

"Placing a freeze is a wonderful way to protect your identity and your most sensitive information," explains Margesson. "It won't cost you a dime, it won't stop you from using your credit card. It just keeps your financial history very safe."

Margesson says scammers are relentless and creative. She encourages Mainers to be aware of popular scams, and share the information with others. Learn more online at aarp.org/holidayscams.


get more stories like this via email

Advocates are cheering the General Assembly for legislation protecting Marylanders' data privacy and are calling on Gov. Wes Moore to sign the bill.

The Maryland Online Privacy Protection Act of 2024 would limit data collection by tech companies as well as their ability to bury unfavorable terms in complex license agreements.

R.J. Cross, director of the Don't Sell My Data Campaign for the Public Interest Research Group, said the new law is a win for consumers.

"No one reads those long privacy policies. They're often vague and full of legalese and so, hiding what a company wants to do with your data there is pretty duplicitous and not being consumer friendly," Cross contended. "The Maryland law takes a very different approach and said it's not enough; you can't just hide things in your fine print. You need to have good data practices that protect people upfront."

She pointed out the Maryland law would be one of the strongest in the nation. If Gov. Moore signs the bill, it would go into effect in October 2025.

The bill gives consumers the right to have some personal data deleted and places limits on the kind of widespread monitoring used to generate targeted advertising. Cross noted such data collection is common.

"A lot of our favorite websites and apps are gathering things like what you've searched for online, every website you visited, your location, maybe even your entire phone contact list," Cross outlined. "It has turned around and sold that information to companies that you've probably never even heard of."

With data breaches consistently making news, Cross added the bill will improve Marylanders' personal security.

"A lot of what this will do is limit how much data is being collected about you and sold, which will help your personal security in a big way," Cross explained. "The more data that companies collect about you, and the more they sell it to other companies, the more likely it's going to be exposed in a breach or a hack."


get more stories like this via email

Florida residents can now file their simple income-tax forms for free and save time through the Internal Revenue Service's Direct File pilot program. It's estimated the simplified filing process could eventually save Florida taxpayers more than $530 million in filing fees every year.

With the April 15 income-tax filing deadline right around the corner, Adam Ruben, vice president for campaigns and political strategy at the Economic Security Project, said you can easily use the program by visiting the website Directfile.IRS.gov.

"It's an interview-based questionnaire," Ruben said. "So it's something that people can use on their phones on their computers available in English and Spanish that asks people questions and pretty much plain language, and you fill in the answers. And it fills in the tax form for you."

Florida is one of a dozen states where IRS Direct File is a pilot project. If it were to expand nationwide and be available to more taxpayers, Ruben estimated that within five years, it could save Americans $8 billion in tax-preparation fees and another $3 billion worth of time annually.

However, opponents have argued that the government is wasting resources and will snag business from professional tax preparers and programs that have lobbied against Direct File.

Chris Moreno, director of financial capability for Catalyst Miami, a nonprofit that works with communities through a variety of free services, said a stress-free filing process that can be done from the comfort of your home or the convenience of your phone is worth taking advantage of.

"If you are an average worker who gets a W-2 - you're employed for a company, you don't own any companies or businesses - you'd probably be the ideal candidate for someone to be able to use Direct File this year," Moreno said.

While a free-file program has been available, many taxpayers were unaware they had access to it. An investigation by ProPublica revealed tactics by Intuit, maker of TurboTax, to cloud the free-file program.

And state auditors, comptrollers and treasurers in 18 states - including Florida - sent a letter in March to the federal government urging the termination of Direct File. They claimed it might lead to confusion about state tax filings, potentially resulting in penalties and loss of state refunds.


get more stories like this via email

As out-of-state, and sometimes disreputable companies offering solar installations crowd the market, a local effort called Solarize aims to connect residents and small businesses with pre-screened solar contractors, while also providing discounts on installation.

Nick Hartnett, Pure Power Solar and Solarize partner, said residents considering solar should find local companies, read reviews, and talk to customers who've had systems installed, adding the Solarize program is designed to do the legwork.

"There's a lot of aggressive sales techniques. And so, when companies that aren't really invested in the local community, and don't plan on being there, for a while, come in with a goal to just sell as much as they can," he said.

David Gomez of Daily Green Power, another Solarize installation partner, says his company went through a thorough analysis based on experience and work quality to be selected as a vetted contractor.

Andy McDonald, Solarize Frankfort Coordinator, said enrolling in Solarize allows residents to get a free solar assessment and installation estimate from contractors screened to work for the program.

"There's no obligation of people to buy anything. If after they get an assessment from Solarize Frankfort, they want to go get estimates from other contractors, they're welcome to do that. But they'll be empowered with information from us about the solar potential on their property," he continued.

Frankfort homeowner David Hensley said after doing online research on solar installation, he decided to use Solarize.

"The price was actually lower than it would have been if I'd gone out by myself. Plus the fact that these people had a good reputation, they've been vetted by both local and state agencies. That made me feel quite confident in the decision just to simply go with them, " he explained.

A few months later, Hensley is saving money on his electricity bills and is playing his part in reducing carbon emissions, he said.