Tips for Dealing With Phone Scammers

From Linda Loraine - Independent Associate Legal Shield

 Be nice, until it’s time to not be nice,” said Patrick Swayze’s character in the movie Road House, referring to situations when it’s best to pass on the niceties. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently spoke of such a situation in their consumer information blog. They point out that scammers take advantage of peoples’ desire to be polite or respectful in an effort to take the consumer’s money or personal information. 

The following phone call scenarios are some situations in which the FTC says it is okay to be a little less than polite if a caller:

1.   Asks for personal or financial information

2.   Asks you to wire money to them for any reason

3.   Keeps talking and asking questions

4.   Makes threats against you

If you find yourself in any of these situations with a caller, do not hesitate to hang up. If you are concerned that there is any validity to the story the caller gave, contact the associated person or business directly. For businesses, perform an internet search and see what comes up. If it’s a legitimate business, you should get at least some useful information, such as a website, address and phone number. If a caller claims they are someone you know and have an emergency that warrants a request for money, don’t rush to wire the money. Try calling them directly first. If that doesn’t work, call a shared friend or family member to ask if the caller is actually in the situation as claimed.

Our Identity Theft Plan is here to provide assistance as well. Here's how we are different from other companies that offer ID monitoring:

1. We protect against all 7 types of ID theft, not just financial

2. We provide complete restoration of your credit, if affected by ID theft, to pre-theft status - at no additional cost. If you don't have restoration (not resolution which is a handy dandy packet and an 800# to guide you through), then you're paying someone to monitor and tell you you have a HUGE problem You are going to have to fix.

3. Our protection is provided by the world's largest risk mgmt co, Kroll - exclusively to LegalShield due to our network of law firms nationwide because......

4. Kroll reports that 70% of ID theft cases require legal advice and/or assistance.

Linda Loraine - Independent Associate Legal Shield

Identity theft affects millions of Americans each year. LegalShield offers two high quality identity theft plans. So in the unfortunate event something does happen to your identity, you’ll have professional help in getting your identity restored to what it was before the fraud occurred. 

Email Linda for more information:  livemoreworrylesstoday@gmail.com

 

Clues to Tax-Related Identity Theft

From Linda Loraine - Ind Distributor Legal Shield

 As with most types of identity theft, a victim of tax-related identity theft will not know someone else used their Social Security number (SSN) on a fraudulent tax return as soon as it happens. There is a delay between the criminal using the stolen SSN and the taxpayer finding out they are a victim.

The following are signs that may indicate your Social Security number was stolen and used for the purpose of getting a fraudulent tax refund:

• You are told that you cannot file your tax return electronically because a return associated with your SSN was already received by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

• You received correspondence (by postal mail) from the IRS stating any of the following:

More than one tax return was filed for you

Additional tax is owed by you

A refund offset was taken

Collection actions were taken against you for a year, you did not file a tax return

IRS records show you received wages from an employer unknown to you

What Should I Do First?

If you are filing electronically and are told that you cannot submit your return via the internet, print your complete form, attach the necessary documents and mail it to the appropriate office. See http://www.irs.gov/uac/Where-To-File-Addresses-for-Tax-Professionals to determine where your return needs to be sent. In this case or in other situations where you believe you are a victim of tax-related identity theft, submit the IRS Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit with your return. Watch for other correspondence from the IRS and follow instructions within.

Important Notes!

The IRS will NOT contact a taxpayer by email, text, or social media. Their first contact with you and usually all subsequent contacts are done by postal mail. The IRS does NOT call taxpayers to make threats and demand immediate payment. Scammers like to call people and pretend to be IRS agents to try to scare people into paying money.

Linda Loraine -  Independent Associate Legal Shield - Unexpected legal questions arise every day and with LegalShield on your side, you’ll have access to a high-quality law firm for as little as $20 a month. From real estate to document review, speeding tickets to will preparation, and more, our attorneys are here to advise you with any legal matter - no matter how traumatic or how trivial it may seem. Our law firms are paid in advance so their sole focus is on serving you, rather than billing you. With our legal plan you will be protected and empowered to worry less and live more.

 

5 Misconceptions about Identity Theft

From Linda Loraine

When it comes to protecting personally identifiable information(PII) and reducing risk of identity theft, the more accurate information you have, the better off you are. Here we share some common misunderstandings about identity theft and explain the reality of each:

Myth: Identity theft can be prevented completely.

Reality: There is no practice or product that can wholly prevent identity theft. There are several components of your personal identity which are collected and used for many reasons. They can’t be locked down in a way that allows only you to authorize their use. Certain tools and practices go a long way to reduce the risk of becoming a victim and to notify you of fraudulent activity early but you must understand that you cannot prevent every type of identity theft.

Myth: I use cash and don’t use credit so I won’t become a victim of identity theft.

Reality: There are two things to consider: First, just because you have not established a credit account, that doesn’t mean somebody else will not use your PII to obtain goods on credit. Second, identity theft affects far more than credit. Identity theft can involve criminal acts, medical care, banking, employment and more. It is important to monitor and protect your identifying information as much as possible regardless of your favorite payment method.

Myth: If I become a victim of identity theft, I will have to pay the debts created by the thief.

Reality: There are federal laws that protect victims of identity theft from being held financially responsible for debts created by an identity thief. See Statement of Rights for Identity Theft Victims. However, the victim must address the misuse of their PII in a timely and complete manner with the affected entities.

Myth: My credit report is monitored so I don’t have to worry about identity theft.

Reality: Credit report monitoring can help you discover potential credit-related identity theft early. While it may then provide an opportunity to take steps to prevent other cases of credit-related identity theft, you must approach credit report monitoring as a valuable tool of detection rather than prevention. As stated earlier, a thief can use your PII to accomplish much more than opening new credit accounts.

Linda Loraine - Ind Dist Legal Shield -  In the unfortunate event something does happen to your identity, you'll have professional help in getting your identity restored to what it was before the fraud occurred. Learn more at Legal Shield Plans