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Biden administration moves to protect Alaska wilderness; opening statements and first witness in NY trial; SCOTUS hears Starbucks case, with implications for unions on the line; rural North Carolina town gets pathway to home ownership.

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The Supreme Court weighs cities ability to manage a growing homelessness crisis, anti-Israeli protests spread to college campuses nationwide, and more states consider legislation to ban firearms at voting sites and ballot drop boxes.

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Wyoming needs more educators who can teach kids trade skills, a proposal to open 40-thousand acres of an Ohio forest to fracking has environmental advocates alarmed and rural communities lure bicyclists with state-of-the-art bike trail systems.

New Yorkers Warned of Scams During Rebate Check Mailings

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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.


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