The Columbia Press
January 14, 2022
Senior Moments
7
Financial Focus
with Emma Edwards
with Adam Miller
Encouraging the restart Be wary, tax season attracts identity thieves
I got to thinking the oth-
er day about how our reac-
tions to everyday stimuli have
changed now that we are se-
nior citizens.
But first, I think we need
to analyze how we feel about
such reactions. Crisis and/
or healing can come after we
think about our reactions.
Recently, I read a Scholastic
Press review of a book, “Re-
start” by Gordon Korman.
It’s about a boy named Chase
whose memory “just went out
the window.”
From a review: “Chase
doesn’t remember falling
off the roof. He doesn’t re-
member hitting his head. He
doesn’t, in fact, remember
anything. He wakes up in a
hospital room and suddenly
has to learn his whole life all
over again … starting with his
own name.”
It’s a fascinating story. One
of the few things he remem-
bers is his name. “But who is
Chase?” He’s then faced with
the decision to be his old self
or to begin a new self and
amaze his classmates.
OK, back it up.
Think about your reac-
tion to hearing the sto-
ry about this young boy.
Reactions could range from
empathy to fixing the situa-
tion or even thinking about
his family who need to help
him remember.
When Chase goes back to
school (he was part of a group
of boys who bullied others) he
finds he no longer likes his for-
mer friends. Here is where the
choice comes in. He decides to
be nice to them anyway.
Warrenton’s amazing com-
munity library has this book
on the shelf for loan, and Am-
azon and Barnes & Noble car-
ry it, too. (Recommended for
ages 8 to 12.)
Reactions to bad news --
even bad news of an unknown
party or situation -- can vary. I
shared with half a dozen peo-
ple the story of a man driving
a tractor on ice who plung-
es into the icy water. Some
laughed, while only one ex-
pressed concern for the man.
Others noted how “stupid” the
man was to take such a risk.
It’s interesting how all of us
react differently.
The boy in the first story was
given a chance to “restart”
with a new personality. I can’t
help but think that the man
falling into the icy waters will
think twice before getting in-
volved in many different situ-
ations in the future.
Change may not come
through a plunge into icy wa-
ters or amnesia brought on by
a fall off the roof. Some peo-
ple have noticed changes in a
loved one after a stroke.
I had a friend who ended up
with curly hair (much to her
delight) and also an accent
and sense of humor not no-
ticed previous to her stroke.
In reading such stroke reac-
tions, most seniors will notice
cognitive rather than physical
changes. Patience from care-
givers is crucial.
A senior recovering from a
stroke has choices. One is to
be justifiably thankful for the
“restart” that can be theirs.
All through life we have
choices. But as seniors, we
weigh which are the ones we
can take on to make life more
doable and, in so doing, an en-
hancement to our lives. Yes, a
restart for sure, often depend-
ing upon our reaction.
Identity theft happens
throughout the year, unfor-
tunately, but some identity
thieves are particularly ac-
tive during tax-filing season.
How can you protect your-
self?
One of the most important
moves you can make is to
be suspicious of requests by
people or entities claiming to
be from the Internal Reve-
nue Service.
You may receive phone
calls, texts and emails, but
these types of communica-
tion are often just “phishing”
scams with one goal in mind:
to capture your personal in-
formation.
These phishers can be quite
clever, sending emails that
appear to contain the IRS
logo or making calls that
may even seem to be coming
from the IRS.
Don’t open any links or at-
tachments to the emails and
don’t answer the calls – and
don’t be alarmed if the caller
leaves a vaguely threaten-
ing voicemail, either asking
for personal information,
such as your Social Security
number, or informing you of
some debts you supposedly
owe to the IRS that must be
taken care of “immediately.”
In reality, the IRS will not
initiate contact with you by
phone, email, text message
or social media to request
personal or financial infor-
mation, or to inquire about
issues pertaining to your tax
returns.
Instead, the agency will
first send you a letter. And
if you’re unsure of the legiti-
macy of such a letter, contact
the IRS directly at 800-829-
1040.
Of course, not all scam art-
ists are fake IRS representa-
tives – some will pass them-
selves off as tax preparers.
Fortunately, most tax pre-
parers are honest. But it’s
not too hard to find the dis-
honest ones who might ask
you to sign a blank return,
promise you a big refund be-
fore looking at your records,
or try to charge a fee based
on the percentage of your re-
turn.
Legitimate tax preparers
will make no grand promises
and will explain their fees up
front. Before hiring someone
to do your taxes, examine
their qualifications.
The IRS provides some
valuable tips for choosing a
reputable tax preparer, but
you can also ask your friends
and relatives for referrals.
Another tax scam to watch
out for is the fraudulent tax
return – that is, someone
filing a return in your name.
To do so, a scammer would
need your name, birthdate
and Social Security number.
If you’re already providing
two of these pieces of infor-
mation – your name and
birthdate on social media,
and you also include your
birthplace – you could be
making it easier for scam
artists to somehow get the
third.
It’s a good idea to check
your privacy settings and
limit what you’re sharing
publicly. You might also
want to use a nickname and
omit your last name, birth-
day and birthplace.
Here’s one more defensive
measure: File your taxes as
soon as you can.
Identity thieves often strike
early in the tax season, so
they can file their bogus re-
turns before their victims.
To learn more about tax
scams, visit the IRS website
(irs.gov) and search for the
“Taxpayer Guide to Identity
Theft.”
This document describes
some signs of identity theft
and provides tips for what to
do if you are victimized.
It’s unfortunate that identi-
ty theft exists, but by taking
the proper precautions, you
can help insulate yourself
from this threat, even when
tax season is over.
This article was written by
Edward Jones and submit-
ted by Adam Miller, financial
adviser at the Astoria office,
632A W. Marine Drive. To
reach him, call 503-325-7991.
Special columns in The Columbia Press
Every week: Senior Moments with Emma Edwards
Week 1: Mayor’s Message by Henry Balensifer
Week 2: Financial Focus with Adam Miller
Week 3: Spotlight on the City
Week 4: Here’s to Your Health from CMH