Deep in the Heart of Taxes

Queridos Amigos:

¿Me escuchan ahora? En el tiempo que les lleva responder esa pregunta, pueden haber sido víctimas de un fraude. Tax season has arrived and for some of us, filing our taxes may not be the most burdensome of tasks, but that can quickly change as scammers and fraudsters are more active now than any other time of the year. Unfortunately, Floridians are often targeted by scammers as our high number of senior residents are among the most likely to be targeted. February is Senior Independence Month and while conversations with our parents and grandparents about their independent living and home safety may have already begun, we must remember that discussing how to protect our seniors' finances is equally as important.

Recent reports show that consumers lose about $50 billion each year to scammers, with phone scams targeting seniors accounting for a large percentage of that total. History has shown that phone scams seem to be the easiest to orchestrate, but there are many ways consumers can be scammed via email, postal mail or even face to face.

Los siguientes son casos de fraude recientes cuyas víctimas fueron adultos mayores:

• "Can You Hear Me Now?" - Callers claiming to be from the IRS ask the question, "Can you hear me now?" The scammers record the consumer's response and if the consumer says "Yes," the caller hangs up and calls back. During this second conversation, the caller asks the consumer if they are aware of money that is owed and that the consumer must provide payment. The caller then uses the previous 'yes' recording to manipulate the phone records to show false proof of the consumer acknowledging and agreeing to provide the payments.
• Estafa del Abuelo: La persona que llama dice ser el nieto que fue arrestado en otro país y necesita que les transfieran dinero de inmediato para regresar a EE. UU. La persona le advierte que no le cuente a su mamá o a su papá porque podría empeorar el problema y se les pide a los consumidores que transfieran dinero a diversos lugares en el exterior.
• Debt Collection - Via telephone call or postal mail, phony debt collectors demand money to cover unpaid debts. Often times, consumers are threatened with legal action if payments are not made. The Department has a wide range of free resources and information to ensure our seniors are protected from the scammers who seek to defraud them. If you're interested in learning more through one of our live "Be Scam Smart" workshops, visit our Operation S.A.F.E (Stop Adult Financial Exploitation) webpage to sign up for a workshop near you. Next week, our team will be in Arcadia on February 7, and Wauchula on February 8 demonstrating how to avoid being scammed, what to look for, and how to report a potential scammer.

The Department has a wide range of free resources and information to ensure our seniors are protected from the scammers who seek to defraud them. If you're interested in learning more through one of our live "Be Scam Smart" workshops, visit our Operation S.A.F.E (Stop Adult Financial Exploitation) webpage to sign up for a workshop near you. Next week, our team will be in Arcadia on February 7, and Wauchula on February 8 demonstrating how to avoid being scammed, what to look for, and how to report a potential scammer. In addition to our workshops, I encourage all Florida families to visit our página web Your Money Matter$ this month to become familiar with the Department's multiple videos and scam fact sheets to help inform, empower and protect yourselves and your loved ones from those who may wish to steal from them. An informed community is a better-protected community and we all have a part to play.

Atentamente,

Jeff Atwater
Oficial Principal de Finanzas
Estado de la Florida