March 17, 2026

Scammers Looking To Take Your Senior Benefits

Scammers Looking To Take Your Senior Benefits
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Scams related to senior benefits, such as Social Security and Medicare, have increased substantially. Learn about these scams, what to look for, and how to protect yourself.

Let’s Talk About Scams is broadcast live Tuesdays at 8AM PT on K4HD Radio - Hollywood Talk Radio (www.k4hd.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com). Let’s Talk About Scams TV Show is viewed on Talk 4 TV (www.talk4tv.com).

Let’s Talk About Scams Podcast is also available on Talk 4 Media (www.talk4media.com), Talk 4 Podcasting (www.talk4podcasting.com), iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Pandora, Spotify, Audible, and over 100 other podcast outlets.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this podcast is intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for individual professional / legal advice. The podcast information was carefully compiled from vetted sources and references; however, R.O.S.E. Resources / Outreach to Safeguard the Elderly cannot guarantee that you will not fall victim to a scam.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/let-s-talk-about-scams--6483699/support.

WEBVTT

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This program is designed to provide general information with regards

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to the subject matters covered. This information is given with

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the understanding that neither the hosts, guests, sponsors, or station

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are engaged in rendering any specific and personal medical, financial,

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legal counseling, professional service, or any advice. You should seek

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the services of competent professionals before applying or trying any

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suggested ideas in The information contained in this podcast is

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intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute

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for individual professional legal advice. The podcast information was carefully

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compiled from vetted sources and references. However, Rose resources outreach

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to safeguard the elderly cannot guarantee that you will not

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fall victim.

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To a scam.

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Let's talk about scams. It's the must listen show for

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anyone who wants to protect themselves and their loved ones

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from scams. Every Tuesday am Pacific time on K four

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HD Radio, Joyce Petrowski, founder of Rose, and her guests

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will provide valuable insights and practical tips on how to

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recognize and protect yourself from scams. And now here is

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your host, Joyce Petrowski.

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Welcome back everyone to let's talk about scams. I'm Joyce Petrowski,

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founder and board president of Rose Resources Outreach to safeguard

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the elderly. You can find more information on our website

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at Roseadvocacy dot org. You'll find our events listed there.

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You can schedule are schedule a presentation tab. You'll also

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find our social media links there at the top of

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the homepage, and if you scroll down to the bottom,

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you can see where you can sign up for our

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emailed newsletter and we also send one out in the mail.

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You can sign up for one or both, and you

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can also download our safety checklist as well. So today

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I want to talk about senior benefits that scammers are

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always looking to.

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Take from us.

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Unfortunately, I found an article that was written just a

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couple of days ago by Katie Willis. It's on through

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WSM on the MSN site and it's titled Senior Benefits

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Fraud is up sharply in twenty twenty six and this

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all deals with government scams. So the Social Security and

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Medicare are two of the top ones that scammers will

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impersonate do government imposter scams targeting people on Medicare and

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Social Security. The government impersonation complaints to the Federal Trade

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Commission rose twenty five percent in twenty twenty five. I

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believe that's taken from the fiscal year ending June of

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two thousand and twenty five to there were more than

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three hundred and thirty thousand complaints, with the Social Security

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Office being the most impersonated federal agency. And remember these

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stats that I'm going to give you today from this

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article or from the Federal Trade Commission. I know we

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always take our stats from the FBI, but you can

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report to the Federal Trade Commission as well, and that's

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where these stats today are coming from. So let's get

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into a few of them. But just keep in mind

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that the government personation scams, yes, they go out to

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millions of people, but through a variety of different ways

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scammers figure out your information. So the first one we're

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going to talk about is Medicare card phishing call. So

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just know that, for instance, like if a health insurance

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or not specifically health insurance, but a health related company

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were to get hacked or breached, how much of your

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medical information then could be out there being sold to

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scammers And now they can use that information to have

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even more targeted calls towards you. So the Medicare card

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phishing call, So the script usually goes like this. The

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caller tells you that Medicare is issuing updated cards with

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new security features. Yeah, that doesn't seem too far fetched, right,

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there are certain instances where Medicare would issue new cards.

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And with all of the fraudulent activity going on in

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a wide variety of areas today and all the scams,

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a lot of companies are increasing their security features, so

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why wouldn't you know government offices do the same, So

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this isn't far fetched. But they're saying you need to

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verify your identity before years can be mailed, and so

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you know, they want you to give your data, birth,

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your SOLF security, your Medicare, you know, identify your number,

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a bunch of different things, just to confirm that it

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is you that we're actually talking to. Sometimes the scammer's

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going to say your current card has been compromised and

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a replacement card is being processed. Again, they need to

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verify you with this personal identifiable information. So, as of

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the writing of this article a few days ago, there

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are no plans to issue new Medicare cards to all members.

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This year, you'll get a new card if you ask

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for a new card. For instance, maybe you lost yours

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and you've requested a replacement card. Or if someone is

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committed fraud using your name in Medicare information and you've

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reported it, then they're going to issue you a new card,

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but they don't call you to verify your identity before

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mailing anything. Medicare does not do that. And what damage

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can be done? You know, if a scammer gets your

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Medicare number and we always tell people your Medicare number

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is personal identifiable information, well they can build Medicare for

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fake surgeries, prescriptions, medical equipment, doctor's visits, all kinds of

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things in your name in Medicare number.

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And yet it.

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Drains the system because it's fraudulent charges. But it also

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can have a major effect on your medical records that

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might affect something down the road, and you might not

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find out for months until you get your explanation of benefits.

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And that's if you then.

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Look at your explanation of benefits. Some people just get them.

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They know what it is, and they just open it

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and they're like, Okay, I know what it is. You know,

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I'm going to just file it away and they don't

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even look at it. But this is another reason why

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you should always look at your explanation of benefits and

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make sure that the charges that are on there are

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actually yours. And if they're not, you want to go

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directly to Medicare, the one eight hundred Medicare and call

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them and report that there's been fraudulent activity on your account.

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And you also, you know, say you get that phishing

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phone call saying that they're from Medicare, just because the

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caller ID shows up Medicare or shows up one eight

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hundred Medicare on your phone, that does not mean it's

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actually Medicares. Scammers have been able to spoof caller ID

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for years and now they're able to spoof the phone

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number as well to make it all the more legitimates.

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So don't answer. You can if you have an online

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account with Medicare, you can go on and you can

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check things out that way. You can call Medicare yourself.

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Just pull your card out the phone numbers right there

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and call the phone number on there.

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And yes you are.

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You know, you're going to have to give them your

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information to verify yourself, but then they can tell you

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what's going on. But the other thing is, this is

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why it's always good to have a Medicare agent, because

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you can then always talk to your Medicare agent.

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They know, you know, not only the new.

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Policies that come out, the new plans that come out,

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any changes that are made. Medicare agents are required to

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learn all of this stuff every year, and they're in

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the process us of learning, probably learning it right now

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or soon, you know, I'm not exactly sure when they

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get all this information, but they will have all of

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it and they will know all of the new plans

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and the changes by the time annual enrollment comes up

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in October, which I believe it's October fifteenth to December seventh. Now, yes,

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you you know, can call them, and you know because

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you might have friends or family say hey, I got

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this new plan and I'm saving all this money.

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You should change.

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Please don't change just because someone told you that it's

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the greatest thing since slice spread.

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Just always talk to your agent.

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They know your situation, they know your health history, and

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they are the ones that are going to be able

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to tell you whether that new plan or what changes

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in a plan are going to actually work for you.

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So you know don't have a Medicare agent. Talk to

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your friends and family and find out who they use

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and who they trust, and then talk to that to agent.

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So just know that Medicare does not issue new Medicare

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cards on a whim. If you've requested a new one,

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then they'll a replacement one.

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They'll send it to you.

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If there's been medical a fraud on your account, then

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they'll send you a new Medicare card. But they're not

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going to call you and ask you to verify your

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information in order to get your new card. Another scam,

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the government scam that has increased a lot, is the

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Social Security And every year we have what's called it's

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COLA for shorts coo LA, it's the cost of living

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adjustment and this one is called the fake cost of

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living activation message. So every year Social Security announces its

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annual cost of living adjustment and when that comes out,

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scammers are going to build those campaigns within days.

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There.

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You know, you get a text message, you get an email,

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You very well could get a fake letter in the mail.

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I know they don't do.

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So much in the mail these days, but I wouldn't

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put it past them. You know, they could send you

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that email with a fake Social Security letter attached to that,

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you know, copying their logo from the real Soil Security website.

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They probably already have fake Social Security websites.

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Is where these links are going to take you. So

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they're going to want you.

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To log in to confirm your account to receive the increase. Again,

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Social Security is not going to ask you to log

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into your account to confirm the increase.

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It's automatic.

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They have their process that they go through, they have

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some software that they use. It's automatically calculated, and they

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send you a letter in the mail telling you what

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your new what your cost of living adjustment is, and

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what your new Soil Security monthly benefit is going to be.

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So they.

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Let's see what else it. They also could have information,

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you know, like your doctor's name and stuff like that

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because they, uh, they get it from healthcare breaches like

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we talked about before. So the Social Security Office of

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Inspector General has warned explicitly that criminals are sending fake

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text and emails directing people to fake Social Security websites

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because they're trying to harvest your personal and financial information.

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Just know that Social Security is not going to text

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or email you links to click.

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On and they're not going to call you.

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If you want to know what your cost of living increases,

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and you have your online accounts set up with Social Security,

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go to the Social Security website the s SA for

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Social Security Administration dot gov and that dot gov is

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a government office and get into your account that way,

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and it will have your cost of living adjustment and

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you can check things out. It's going to have all

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your information about your Social Security in that account. Another

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one that they reference that's gone up substantially is impersonating

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the Social Security office with a phone call, and this

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one has.

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Produced the highest losses per.

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Victim, and that's because this is where your emotions are in.

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They get you in a state of fear right away.

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They combine the fear with the urgency, which makes it

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more difficult to think through, to think calmly through the situation.

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So you could have a live person.

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When if you answer the phone call and it's this

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fake Social Security impersonation call, it could be an actual

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person or it could be recorded message. But basically what

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they're saying is that your Social Security number has been

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linked to fraudulent criminal activity. Well, that's going to scare

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people right away.

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Right.

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Fraudulent, yes, but then adding criminal to it that scares people, right.

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They might say it could be drug trafficking, money laundering,

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whatever they come up with. But they say your Social

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Security number has been suspended and there's a warrant out

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for your arrest. That adds to the fear that they're

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trying to instill in you, so you don't think calmly

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00:14:36.600 --> 00:14:40.840
and rationally about the situation. But they have a way

230
00:14:40.960 --> 00:14:45.440
out of this mess. If you cooperate, immediately provide the

231
00:14:45.519 --> 00:14:49.519
information they ask, or make a payment, it will resolve

232
00:14:49.559 --> 00:14:54.320
the matter before they send out law enforcement. So just

233
00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:58.960
know that you know social Security numbers cannot be suspended.

234
00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:03.519
They won't just automatically suspend your number. They will not

235
00:15:03.639 --> 00:15:07.559
threaten legal action if you don't pay, say that they

236
00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:10.919
need money to activate a benefit, pressure you to share

237
00:15:10.960 --> 00:15:15.360
sensitive information, contact you through social media, or demand that

238
00:15:15.399 --> 00:15:18.399
you keep the conversation secret. They will not do any

239
00:15:18.559 --> 00:15:24.039
of that if it is the legitimate government communication. And

240
00:15:24.120 --> 00:15:28.240
again what we've said before, the government sends their communication

241
00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:35.960
via letters in the mail. The financial damage from this scam,

242
00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:42.080
according to the FTC in twenty twenty four, they received

243
00:15:42.120 --> 00:15:45.799
over eighty two hundred reports from adults sixty years old

244
00:15:45.799 --> 00:15:49.240
and older who said they lost at least ten thousand

245
00:15:49.320 --> 00:15:53.240
dollars to this imposter scam. It's up three hundred and

246
00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:58.039
sixty two percent from twenty twenty, and those reported losses

247
00:15:58.120 --> 00:16:02.720
hit seven hundred million that year, which is more than

248
00:16:02.759 --> 00:16:06.919
a fivefold increase from twenty twenty. So this is a

249
00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:11.039
huge one that's out there. But just know that Social

250
00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:14.399
Security Office is not going to just unexpectedly call you

251
00:16:16.120 --> 00:16:19.679
and you threaten legal action and scare you that your

252
00:16:19.960 --> 00:16:25.159
Social Security has been suspended and all that stuff. Some unfortunately,

253
00:16:25.240 --> 00:16:29.960
some sixty plus year old victims actually emptied their retirement accounts.

254
00:16:30.039 --> 00:16:32.879
Some of them lost their homes. So this scam is

255
00:16:32.919 --> 00:16:35.600
extremely effective and you need to be aware of it.

256
00:16:36.159 --> 00:16:40.080
If you have any communication about your Social security you

257
00:16:40.159 --> 00:16:44.399
have an online account, log in to the legitimate website.

258
00:16:44.960 --> 00:16:48.320
Log into your account and check things out there, and

259
00:16:48.360 --> 00:16:52.879
if you do need to contact Social Security, your account

260
00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:55.399
in the legitimate website is going to have the Social

261
00:16:55.440 --> 00:17:01.360
Securities phone number for you to call.

262
00:17:01.480 --> 00:17:04.799
Let's see you know we've this.

263
00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:09.440
If you do happen to engage with any of these scams,

264
00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:11.440
just stop the contact.

265
00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:14.640
It does it if you're talking to UH.

266
00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:16.640
If you happen to answer the phone and you're talking

267
00:17:16.680 --> 00:17:18.680
to them on the phone, just know it's okay to

268
00:17:18.759 --> 00:17:22.279
hang up, just end of the conversation. If you must

269
00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:25.920
do it politely and the conversation politely, then just say

270
00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:29.039
something came up, I've got to go and hang up,

271
00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:31.920
or just hang up. It's okay to just hang up.

272
00:17:33.240 --> 00:17:37.160
You know, if you're responding to a so called text,

273
00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:40.079
you know with saying that they're from one of these offices,

274
00:17:40.279 --> 00:17:45.960
just stop the contact, report that, report the text as

275
00:17:46.680 --> 00:17:49.759
spam before you delete it. You could even screenshot it

276
00:17:49.880 --> 00:17:52.400
because then you could call the Social Security Office, you

277
00:17:52.440 --> 00:17:55.119
could call Medicare and you could report it and you

278
00:17:55.160 --> 00:17:58.000
could give them a screenshot of the text messages, or

279
00:17:58.039 --> 00:18:00.880
you can send them, you know, a of the email

280
00:18:00.920 --> 00:18:04.599
that you received, or if they sent you maybe a

281
00:18:04.680 --> 00:18:07.039
letter in well, you don't want to open up the attachment,

282
00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:10.920
so let's not worry about that. But just stop the

283
00:18:10.920 --> 00:18:14.799
communication with them and report it. You can go directly

284
00:18:14.880 --> 00:18:19.240
to the Social Security Office and just log into your account.

285
00:18:19.279 --> 00:18:20.559
They have a fraud hotline.

286
00:18:20.640 --> 00:18:23.200
You can get the phone number and column. You can

287
00:18:23.240 --> 00:18:26.240
also call Medicare at that one eight hundred medicare number.

288
00:18:27.279 --> 00:18:30.359
The best thing to do for identity theft if you

289
00:18:30.480 --> 00:18:32.880
think you might have been a victim of identity theft

290
00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:39.079
is the Federal Trade Commission has a specific Identity theft

291
00:18:39.559 --> 00:18:43.079
reporting where they can help you walk through the process

292
00:18:43.160 --> 00:18:46.359
of getting your identity back and they give you the

293
00:18:46.400 --> 00:18:50.920
paperwork that's needed in order to get in case there's

294
00:18:51.000 --> 00:19:01.720
fraudulent credit on your name. Let's see another government uh

295
00:19:01.920 --> 00:19:04.960
impersonation scam could be the i r S. It is

296
00:19:05.039 --> 00:19:07.880
tax season. There's a lot of I r S scams

297
00:19:07.920 --> 00:19:10.359
that go on out there, and if you have not

298
00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:15.559
already done so, please get your identity protection PIN with

299
00:19:15.680 --> 00:19:18.359
the I r S. The quickest way to do it

300
00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:21.039
is if you get on the i r S website

301
00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:26.200
i r S dot gov and UH just search Identity

302
00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:30.119
Protection PIN. It'll come up and you can request it online.

303
00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:32.599
That is the quickest way to do it. You will

304
00:19:32.599 --> 00:19:35.240
have to set up an account and you will need

305
00:19:35.279 --> 00:19:38.599
to go through a verification process. It's called I d ME.

306
00:19:39.799 --> 00:19:41.400
So that's why you need to make sure you're on

307
00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:46.039
legitimate I r S website i r S dot gov. Again,

308
00:19:46.119 --> 00:19:50.079
that dot gov is the government office you go you

309
00:19:50.079 --> 00:19:53.720
could also they'll also have a they'll also give you

310
00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:55.400
the phone number that you can call the I R

311
00:19:55.519 --> 00:19:57.519
S and do it over the phone. But whether you

312
00:19:57.559 --> 00:19:59.359
do it online or you do it over the phone,

313
00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:03.160
you have to verify yourself and they will ask a

314
00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:07.799
lot of personal questions. But then once you go through

315
00:20:07.839 --> 00:20:11.759
the verification process, you're issued this six digit number. And

316
00:20:12.160 --> 00:20:14.599
if you've done it online and you have an account

317
00:20:14.599 --> 00:20:18.440
with the IRS, now you'll see it in your online account.

318
00:20:18.519 --> 00:20:20.720
But they will also send you a letter in the

319
00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:24.519
mail with that number. It's good to have that even

320
00:20:24.559 --> 00:20:28.440
if you don't file taxes because it protects your account.

321
00:20:28.559 --> 00:20:31.160
You have the letter, you just put it away for

322
00:20:31.240 --> 00:20:36.759
safe keeping. But if you do file taxes, when you

323
00:20:36.839 --> 00:20:39.839
sign your tax return and then date it, right next

324
00:20:39.920 --> 00:20:41.559
to the date is where you're going to put that

325
00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:45.720
six digit code on your return. Because if you file

326
00:20:45.799 --> 00:20:48.960
your return and you have been issued that PIN number

327
00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:51.799
and you do not include it on your return, your

328
00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:55.039
return will not get accepted. So make sure you have

329
00:20:55.119 --> 00:20:58.359
it on your return where you sign, then date, and

330
00:20:58.400 --> 00:21:01.480
then there's this place to put that number, and then

331
00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:04.680
that letter goes away for safe keeping. That IP PIN

332
00:21:04.839 --> 00:21:10.720
number is personal confidential information, and then next year, the

333
00:21:10.759 --> 00:21:13.240
IRS is going to issue you a whole new six

334
00:21:13.319 --> 00:21:17.039
digit code. If you're ready to file your taxes and

335
00:21:17.079 --> 00:21:19.000
you don't have that number, you can log into your

336
00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:21.279
account and it should be updated and there to give

337
00:21:21.319 --> 00:21:25.160
you that new number. The only way that someone else

338
00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:29.400
other than you and your spouse that would file a

339
00:21:29.519 --> 00:21:33.640
joint return would And by the way, both spouses need

340
00:21:33.680 --> 00:21:37.799
their own separate number, So make sure both spouses get

341
00:21:37.839 --> 00:21:42.440
it if you're filing a joint return, because it affects

342
00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:46.960
either spouse social Security number is attached to the account,

343
00:21:47.720 --> 00:21:51.839
and I'll explain that in more detail here shortly. But

344
00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:56.599
the only way anybody else should have the PIN number

345
00:21:56.720 --> 00:22:01.440
of your PIN number or your spouse's PIN number is

346
00:22:01.559 --> 00:22:07.039
if you use a tax prepare and they electronically file

347
00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:09.720
your tax return, They're going to need to have that

348
00:22:09.880 --> 00:22:15.480
number to put in when they electronically file your tax return.

349
00:22:15.559 --> 00:22:18.720
So that is the only way some third party would

350
00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:23.000
need that number. Now, getting back to why both spouses

351
00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:26.279
need it, I'm a perfect example of this. So about

352
00:22:26.319 --> 00:22:29.039
a year and a half ago, I was going through

353
00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:32.759
the mail and I got a letter and I could

354
00:22:32.759 --> 00:22:36.319
tell it was from the IRS, and My first thought was, Wow,

355
00:22:36.319 --> 00:22:39.720
this is weird. Normally, when we get communication from the IRS,

356
00:22:40.279 --> 00:22:42.799
it comes to both my husband and me, but this

357
00:22:42.880 --> 00:22:45.960
one came to just me and I opened it up

358
00:22:46.279 --> 00:22:49.440
and it was a letter stating that they had received

359
00:22:49.720 --> 00:22:52.599
a tax return in my name and sold security number,

360
00:22:53.200 --> 00:22:57.119
and they flagged it as possibly fraudulent so they had

361
00:22:57.160 --> 00:23:04.200
not processed it, and that if this was a fraudulent return,

362
00:23:04.359 --> 00:23:06.680
to please call. And they gave me the phone number

363
00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:10.440
and I did verify that that was the actual correct

364
00:23:10.480 --> 00:23:13.759
phone number with the IRS, so it wasn't like a

365
00:23:13.799 --> 00:23:16.960
fake letter that, you know, maybe a scammer would send out.

366
00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:20.880
I verified that that phone number was accurate, and I

367
00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:24.000
called and I had to go through the verification process.

368
00:23:24.200 --> 00:23:27.480
And then once I did that and verified myself, I

369
00:23:27.559 --> 00:23:31.119
asked them, you know, well, how was that return filed?

370
00:23:31.359 --> 00:23:35.920
And excuse me, They wouldn't give me any information that

371
00:23:36.039 --> 00:23:38.680
was on that return other than it was in my

372
00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:39.720
name and my.

373
00:23:39.759 --> 00:23:40.880
Sole security number.

374
00:23:41.920 --> 00:23:48.599
So I just assumed that whoever filed that fraudulent return.

375
00:23:49.400 --> 00:23:51.200
Did it it was.

376
00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:55.359
Filed under something other than married filing jointly, because my

377
00:23:55.440 --> 00:23:58.079
husband and I have been filing that way for thirty

378
00:23:58.160 --> 00:24:01.920
years and that's probably why the IRS flagged it as

379
00:24:01.960 --> 00:24:05.359
possibly fraudulent because it came in as something different. That's

380
00:24:05.400 --> 00:24:08.200
what I assumed. They wouldn't give me any information on it.

381
00:24:08.759 --> 00:24:12.559
But they said, all right, we are going to start

382
00:24:12.599 --> 00:24:16.079
working through the process to get this fraudulent return off

383
00:24:16.119 --> 00:24:19.599
of your account. And they said, by the way, when,

384
00:24:20.039 --> 00:24:22.759
And we had not filed our tax return yet, so

385
00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:26.200
they said, and I said, well, what do I do

386
00:24:26.839 --> 00:24:31.119
when I file my our legitimate tax return? And they said, well,

387
00:24:31.160 --> 00:24:35.039
you're going to be issued automatically issued this ip PIN,

388
00:24:36.039 --> 00:24:37.640
so you're going to want to put it. Make sure

389
00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:40.720
you have it on your tax return. See I didn't

390
00:24:40.759 --> 00:24:42.640
have to apply for it. I was a victim of

391
00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:45.920
tax related identity theft, so I was automatically issued it.

392
00:24:46.440 --> 00:24:49.359
Make sure it's on your return, and make sure your

393
00:24:49.400 --> 00:24:52.319
husband's is on you know, his ippin is on the

394
00:24:52.319 --> 00:24:55.000
return as well, and file it. But if you are

395
00:24:55.359 --> 00:24:58.119
getting a refund, you're not going to get your money

396
00:24:58.359 --> 00:25:03.279
until this root return it is off of your account

397
00:25:03.519 --> 00:25:06.240
or if you're taking that refund and saying credit well,

398
00:25:06.559 --> 00:25:08.440
and I said, okay, well how long is that going

399
00:25:08.519 --> 00:25:11.000
to take? And she said it could take up to

400
00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:15.279
I think it was like six hundred and thirty days

401
00:25:15.400 --> 00:25:18.599
or something like that, and I'm like, that's like two years,

402
00:25:19.480 --> 00:25:22.000
and she goes, that's up to how long it could

403
00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:24.440
take to get this fraudulent return off of your account.

404
00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:28.759
And so I just gave it a few months and

405
00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:33.920
then I called, you know, the IRS, and nobody I think.

406
00:25:33.960 --> 00:25:37.559
I don't think anybody carves out two to four hours

407
00:25:37.559 --> 00:25:40.400
in their day to talk to the IRS. But you know,

408
00:25:40.480 --> 00:25:43.759
I called, and then you sit on hold, and then

409
00:25:43.799 --> 00:25:47.799
you finally get somebody. And it just so happened that

410
00:25:48.079 --> 00:25:51.079
when I was halfway through the process, I got disconnected.

411
00:25:51.240 --> 00:25:53.200
So then I had to call back again and sit

412
00:25:53.240 --> 00:25:56.920
on hold, going through the process again. I got disconnected again.

413
00:25:57.079 --> 00:25:59.880
And that was even after I said, please don't disc

414
00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:02.519
to me I was disconnected last time. They're like, oh,

415
00:26:02.599 --> 00:26:04.319
you know, no, we're not going to disconnect you. We

416
00:26:04.359 --> 00:26:07.279
got disconnected again. So I just gave up and let

417
00:26:07.279 --> 00:26:09.680
it go a few more months, and then I finally

418
00:26:09.960 --> 00:26:13.079
think it took about five or six months. It was

419
00:26:13.160 --> 00:26:17.279
finally that fraudulent return was finally off of our account.

420
00:26:17.759 --> 00:26:20.799
But in the meantime, we had filed our legitimate return,

421
00:26:21.279 --> 00:26:24.079
and I said to the tax prepair. I said, you know,

422
00:26:24.319 --> 00:26:27.599
if we just don't refund any of the money, if

423
00:26:27.599 --> 00:26:30.160
we have an overpayment, just credit it to the next year,

424
00:26:30.839 --> 00:26:32.680
because it's going to it could take up to two

425
00:26:32.759 --> 00:26:36.759
years to get this refund. And so the tax prepairer

426
00:26:36.799 --> 00:26:39.240
did that, and then my husband got a letter in

427
00:26:39.240 --> 00:26:41.039
the mail and I got a letter in the mail

428
00:26:41.079 --> 00:26:44.960
from the IRS saying that the amount of the overpayment

429
00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:48.400
they could credit to the next year was zero, and

430
00:26:48.440 --> 00:26:51.799
that was because we still had that fraudulent return attached

431
00:26:51.839 --> 00:26:55.319
to our accounts. So your money doesn't just disappear. Your

432
00:26:55.319 --> 00:26:58.680
money's there, but it's not going to show as a

433
00:26:58.720 --> 00:27:03.319
refund or an overpayment credited to the next year until

434
00:27:03.359 --> 00:27:07.160
this fraudulent return is off of your account. And had

435
00:27:07.240 --> 00:27:11.480
the IRS process that fraudulent return, it probably would have

436
00:27:11.640 --> 00:27:15.200
taken at least a year or more for it to

437
00:27:15.240 --> 00:27:18.839
come off of my account. So and a lot more

438
00:27:18.880 --> 00:27:21.559
phone calls with the IRS and all of that, and

439
00:27:21.599 --> 00:27:26.039
it's frustrating. You just don't plan having to do that,

440
00:27:26.359 --> 00:27:29.960
you know, during your day, and it's very frustrating. So

441
00:27:30.680 --> 00:27:33.200
just please get the IP PIN number. You can do

442
00:27:33.240 --> 00:27:38.480
it online IRS dot gov. You can also they'll have

443
00:27:38.519 --> 00:27:42.799
a phone number there if you need to call them

444
00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:44.480
and just get it and know that you're going to

445
00:27:44.519 --> 00:27:48.759
get a new one every year. It's confidential, personal, confidential information.

446
00:27:49.039 --> 00:27:52.559
So as I said before, the only additional person that

447
00:27:52.599 --> 00:27:54.799
would need to know it would be your tax prepare

448
00:27:55.359 --> 00:28:00.319
if they are filing an elect your return electronically. So

449
00:28:00.440 --> 00:28:05.440
just be aware of government and personation scams. Just because

450
00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:10.160
you get a text, a phone call, an email, don't

451
00:28:10.200 --> 00:28:14.359
necessarily believe it. You always have to verify on your

452
00:28:14.400 --> 00:28:18.079
own through legitimate channels. And just know that you know,

453
00:28:18.319 --> 00:28:21.480
Medicare is not going to automatically send new cards to everybody.

454
00:28:23.240 --> 00:28:25.720
Have your Medicare agent that can help you. And then

455
00:28:25.839 --> 00:28:29.279
Social Security they're not going to threaten arrests, they're not

456
00:28:29.319 --> 00:28:32.720
going to threaten you know, payment and all of that.

457
00:28:34.039 --> 00:28:36.640
Just log onto your soil Security account and find out

458
00:28:36.640 --> 00:28:40.200
what's going on there. The cost of living adjustment is automatic.

459
00:28:40.599 --> 00:28:45.000
You shouldn't have to pay anybody to do not pay

460
00:28:45.039 --> 00:28:47.920
anybody when they say they can. If you just give

461
00:28:47.920 --> 00:28:50.519
me three hundred dollars, I can get you an increase

462
00:28:50.559 --> 00:28:51.920
in your cost of living adjustment.

463
00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:52.960
That's not the case.

464
00:28:53.480 --> 00:28:56.000
It's the government figures it out and they send you

465
00:28:56.079 --> 00:29:01.079
the information. So just know that a lot of scammers

466
00:29:01.079 --> 00:29:03.400
are out there impersonating the government, and just please be

467
00:29:03.680 --> 00:29:06.839
very very careful. That's all I have for you today.

468
00:29:07.960 --> 00:29:12.279
Next week, David Hawkins is going to be back. He

469
00:29:12.519 --> 00:29:15.839
was on last month. If you remember where we talked

470
00:29:15.839 --> 00:29:20.960
about past keys and how that biometric information works and passwords. Well,

471
00:29:21.039 --> 00:29:24.920
we're Our plan is to talk about artificial intelligence, and

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00:29:25.119 --> 00:29:26.920
my hope is is that we're going to be able

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to show you some artificially manipulated videos to try to

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help you see the nuances in them, and maybe an

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00:29:38.680 --> 00:29:43.160
actual voice recording that's not legitimate.

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I don't know.

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00:29:44.119 --> 00:29:46.720
We're putting it all together right now, So tune in

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00:29:46.759 --> 00:29:49.640
next week to listen to what Dave has to say,

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00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:54.119
and don't forget check our website at Roseadvocacy dot org.

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00:29:54.559 --> 00:29:56.799
Social media links are there. You can check out our

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00:29:56.799 --> 00:30:00.440
golf tournament event coming up on April tenth. Are looking

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00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:05.440
for some more golfers. It's at Arizona Grand in Phoenix, Arizona,

483
00:30:06.279 --> 00:30:08.480
and we have an auction. We're looking for some auction

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00:30:08.599 --> 00:30:12.519
donations and scroll down to the bottom of the homepage

485
00:30:12.559 --> 00:30:14.480
and you will see where you can sign up for

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00:30:14.519 --> 00:30:18.519
our newsletter via email and or in the mail. So

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00:30:18.680 --> 00:30:19.480
until next.

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00:30:19.240 --> 00:30:21.559
Week, and happy Saint Patrick's Day.

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00:30:21.640 --> 00:30:24.000
I almost forgot about that. It is Saint Patrick's Day.

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00:30:24.319 --> 00:30:27.279
Be careful if you're out there celebrating Saint Patrick's Day today,

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00:30:27.720 --> 00:30:28.960
all right, take care.

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00:30:30.519 --> 00:30:34.039
Well that's all the knowledge for this episode Julian every

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00:30:34.119 --> 00:30:38.119
Tuesday at eight am Pacific time on KFOURHD Radio at

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00:30:38.160 --> 00:30:42.680
KFOURHD dot com, as Joyce explores a variety of knowledge,

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00:30:42.720 --> 00:30:46.279
so you have the power to make scam protection your

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00:30:46.440 --> 00:30:50.079
healthy habit. And until then, feel free to reach out

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00:30:50.079 --> 00:30:52.680
to Joyce and let's talk about scams.