Norton Scientific Reviews on IRS Warns of Tax Fraud Scam

http://www.technologygadgetnews.com/latest-news/norton-scientific-reviews-on-irs-warns-of-tax-fraud-scam

(1888PressRelease) April 11, 2012 - The US Internal Revenue Service has published their yearly ranking of tax scams, called Dirty Dozen, in an effort to remind taxpayers to be cautious as there are many schemes designed to cheat them this tax period.

The list which is compiled by the IRS every year also contains a wide range of common tax scams that people can encounter anytime. But the fraudulent claims usually increase during the time people file their tax returns. Con artists will try to cheat people either through online, email messages, flyers, word of mouth or personal encounter. They are armed with misleading promises about free money or lost refunds.

The most complex and accounts for the most number of victims is the case of identity theft. IRS has seen increasing number of such cases where the thieves use legitimate taxpayers' information to file a return and claim a fraudulent refund. A notice from the IRS will usually be sent to a taxpayer if more than one return was filed in his or her name, or if he or she received salary from an unknown employer.

Suspicious preparers of return have been known to steal their clients' refunds or charge huge amounts for preparing the return on the client's behalf. They basically draw potential clients by promising guaranteed or increased refunds. A number of federal courts have already issued hundreds of injunctions while the Justice Department has many pending complaints against others.

Because of this, taxpayers are warned to choose carefully who to hire as tax preparer. As a preventive measure, every paid preparer are required to have a PTIN (Preparer Tax Identification Number) that he needs to put on the returns he prepares.

Scammers typically target the elderly and persons who have low income in order to bring false hopes and charge them for the 'advice'. But victims always end up disappointed afterwards.

For instance, several years ago, one of the most widespread tax frauds toyed with the concept that paying tax is not required at all but only voluntary. Furthermore, victims were told that if you put a specific language on your tax return, IRS would not tax you. But as part of the whole scam, you have to pay some amount or other to get the language and the proper forms.

The primary source of identity theft was discovered to be in hospitals where patient information is not secured properly.

IRS announced last month a national crack down on suspected perpetrators of tax fraud as part of their efforts to protect taxpayers. Together with the Department of Justice's Tax Division, they have created a protection unit and a hotline dedicated for fraud issues to assist taxpayers.

Norton Scientific Reviews is maintained by a blogger-cum-security-specialist who keeps a close watch on the tech industry and the trend of badware. This blog aims to educate the public and keep the pros up-to-date with regards to malicious software and their respective anti-virus counterparts.

In this digital age, being in-the-know is the most elementary step to avoid getting pwned. Norton Scientific Reviews covers even the most basic concepts on malware and infection prevention for newbies. While for tech junkies, there are also in-depth software reviews and jargon-filled tech reports on various topics.

http://www.nortonscientificreviews.com

Norton Scientific Reviews : The unofficial guide to antivirus softwares and everything

http://nortonscientificreviews.com/reviews/2012/03/norton-scientific-reviews-irs-warns-of-tax-fraud/

The US Internal Revenue Service has published their yearly ranking of tax scams, called Dirty Dozen, in an effort to remind taxpayers to be cautious as there are many schemes designed to cheat them this tax period.

The list which is compiled by the IRS every year also contains a wide range of common tax scams that people can encounter anytime. But the fraudulent claims usually increase during the time people file their tax returns. Con artists will try to cheat people either through online, email messages, flyers, word of mouth or personal encounter. They are armed with misleading promises about free money or lost refunds.

The most complex and accounts for the most number of victims is the case of identity theft. IRS has seen increasing number of such cases where the thieves use legitimate taxpayers’ information to file a return and claim a fraudulent refund. A notice from the IRS will usually be sent to a taxpayer if more than one return was filed in his or her name, or if he or she received salary from an unknown employer.

Suspicious preparers of return have been known to steal their clients’ refunds or charge huge amounts for preparing the return on the client’s behalf. They basically draw potential clients by promising guaranteed or increased refunds. A number of federal courts have already issued hundreds of injunctions while the Justice Department has many pending complaints against others.

Because of this, taxpayers are warned to choose carefully who to hire as tax preparer. As a preventive measure, every paid preparer are required to have a PTIN (Preparer TaxIdentification Number) that he needs to put on the returns he prepares.

Scammers typically target the elderly and persons who have low income in order to bring false hopes and charge them for the ‘advice’. But victims always end up disappointed afterwards.

For instance, several years ago, one of the most widespread tax frauds toyed with the concept that paying tax is not required at all but only voluntary. Furthermore, victims were told that if you put a specific language on your tax return, IRS would not tax you. But as part of the whole scam, you have to pay some amount or other to get the language and the proper forms.

The primary source of identity theft was discovered to be in hospitals where patient information is not secured properly.

IRS announced last month a national crack down on suspected perpetrators of tax fraud as part of their efforts to protect taxpayers. Together with the Department of Justice’s Tax Division, they have created a protection unit and a hotline dedicated for fraud issues to assist taxpayers.

norton scientific scam | Linkedin | SocioPost.com

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This is a review of Broad and Wade’s Betrayers of the Truth. The author uses a subtitle which is revealing: the loyalist responds to heresy not by seeing that something might be wrong, that there may be some merit to this sort of reassessment, but by defending the ideology. Zinder has managed to misread Broad and Wade in several places. There is sufficient misrepresentation to mean that he read the book very selectively. “The authors continually confound science with scientists. And the book not only fails to enlighten us on science but doesn’t even begin to provide any insight on scientific method.” (p. 94) “Thirty four cases of fraud over a 2,000 year period are documented in the book, a number roughly comparable to the number of lawyers who went to jail for Watergate. Despite this small number, the authors imply that scientific fraud is common. 

Speaker attributes Nashua’s unique economy to manufacturing,

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/955304-196/speaker-attributes-nashuas-unique-economy-to-manufacturing.html

By DAVID BROOKS

Staff Writer

NASHUA – Nashua is often thought of as being different from most of New Hampshire, and on Thursday the Chamber of Commerce heard one reason why: manufacturing.

Nashua’s economy depends far more on manufacturing that any other large New Hampshire community, economist Steve Norton said during a Chamber-sponsored breakfast event. Almost 30 percent of wages paid in the city are in the manufacturing sector, twice the state average.

This has advantages, bringing good-paying jobsand creating a diverse economy, but also has its drawbacks.

“You are much more reliant on an industry that is fleeing New Hampshire, fleeing the country,” he cautioned.

Norton’s comments came during the first of three monthly breakfast Chamber meetings featuring researchers from the New England Public Policy Center, the policy branch of theFederal Reserve Bank in Boston.

Thursday’s talk by center researcher Jennifer Weiner was titled “How Does New Hampshire Do It?” She talked about 2011 research into how New Hampshire has managed to avoid having a state income tax and state sales tax.

Weiner say part of the answer is that the state’s demographics – our low poverty rate and relatively small number of school-aged children – lowered the need for spending, giving us “less challenging circumstances that other New England states.”

But Weiner said policy decisions, including smaller payments for higher education, public employee pensions and public hospitals than many states, are an even bigger reason for the state’s lower spending levels.

Just as important in the avoidance of broad-based state taxes, she said, has been New Hampshire’s ability to shift some costs off state taxpayers. That includes a history of bringing in a high percentage of federal money, much of it through the now-ended and controversial Medicaid reimbursement program that was referred to several times as “Medi-scam.”

“There is no single silver bullet for policymakers in other states who want to follow New Hampshire’s path,” Weiner said.

The talk was followed by a panel discussion featuring Nashua Mayor Donnalee Lozeau, Sen. Chuck Morse, R-Concord, and Norton, director of the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy, a Concord think tank.

Norton cautioned that many of the factors which have contributed to the state’s long period of economic growth are ending. Most importantly, he said, we are seeing an end to decades of well-educated people – the sort who use relatively few government services and help create jobs – moving here from other states.

“The last five years, New Hampshire has had a net out-migration, for the first time in 60 years,” he said.

This is partly because the recession has made it harder for people to move, but also because New Hampshire’s migration growth was fueled by baby boomers, who are entering retirement age and no longer moving around.

“Is the next generation going to move here, too?” he asked rhetorically. He argued that the state, which has launched a Stay-Work-Play initiative to keep college graduates in New Hampshire, should try to develop something to lure older adults. “Maybe we need a 30-40 initiative,” he said.

As for Nashua’s manufacturing prowess, Norton said it came partly from geography – it’s the first city with an established industrial base reached by Massachusetts business people seeking New Hampshire’s tax climate – and partly by history.

“A lot of it was Sanders,” he said.

The creation of Sanders Associates as a defense-electronics firm in 1951 signaled Nashua’s shift from a former mill town to a place where modern products are developed and made. Its success attracted more of the same as decades went by. (Sanders is now BAE Systems.)

Lozeau took the opportunity to urge spending on infrastructure, including passenger rail, and noted that cities such as Nashua are being hit hard by cutbacks in government spending.

“We’re taking on more responsibility for spending that isn’t happening by state and federal governments,” Lozeau said. She said the city has lost $16 million in state and federal revenue in recent years.

The Business Insiders Series is sponsored by Citizens Bank, which has hosted the chamber’s breakfast events for five years. The Telegraph is the series’ media sponsor.

Follow-up talks are set for April 19, “Ensuring a Supply of Mid-Skilled Labor in Northern New England,” and May 24, “Lessons for Nashua’s Future from Resurgent Cities across America.”

David Brooks can be reached at 594-6531 or dbrooks@nashuatelegraph.com.