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.

Beware of Scams During Tax Season

play audio
Play

Friday, February 19, 2016   

HARRISBURG, Pa. - With the deadline to file income tax forms coming up, Pennsylvanians are being warned to guard against fraud and identity theft.

Taxes are due on April 18 this year, and thieves already are preying on unsuspecting taxpayers in a variety of ways. Bill Johnston-Walsh, director of AARP Pennsylvania, said one favorite ploy is a phone call from someone posing as an IRS official, claiming back taxes are owed and demanding immediate payment. Johnston-Walsh said there are telltale signs that it's a fraud.

"The IRS never asks for credit or debit card numbers over the phone, and even in the email, they would not do that," he said. "They're going to be sending you things through the mail system."

Pennsylvania is 18th among states for complaints of identity theft, with stolen identities sometimes used for tax fraud.

According to Johnston-Walsh, thieves often steal mail from unlocked mailboxes or raid trash cans for information they can use to impersonate a taxpayer.

"The scammers electronically file a tax return under someone else's name to collect their tax refund," he said. "And really, all they need to do that is someone's birth date and a Social Security number."

That's why he said AARP advises people to shred papers that contain any personal information before throwing them out.

There are ways people can protect themselves. Johnston-Walsh said the best way to avoid tax fraud is to beat the scammers to the finish line.

"Do your tax returns early and get them in as soon as possible to beat any con artists that are trying to take your identity and use it against you," he said.

He also advised that you know the person preparing your taxes, and never give out personal information without asking why it's needed.

More information is online at aarp.org/scamalert.


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