Warnings.
Beware of the IRS:
http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/03/29/tax-audit-red-flags-11-things-that-may-get-irs-to-pick-you/?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-nb%7Cdl10%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D147867
Don't be scared but listen to the damn warnings:
http://www.tampabay.com/news/new-tornado-warnings-to-try-scare-tactics/1222942
Beware of being exposed:
http://news.yahoo.com/lost-data-may-exposed-800-000-people-calif-081514187.html
Comment Away.
About Me
- William J.
- First, I think the birth sign is wrong. 6-21, some papers say Gemini, some Cancer. Guess that means I have so many personalities that I can do group therapy alone. For those that don't know how to read Google profiles I have put what I really mean in ( ). Hot (Good looking enough to be in movies(if I buy at ticket). A body like a God (Buddha). Romantic (Thinks begging is foreplay.) Physically fit (Heart trouble. Put 911 on speed dial before we get initmate.) Good Provider (has good life insurance in case you forget to put 911 on speed dial.) Loyal (has reference letters from Mom and parole officer.) Intelligent (scored 1600 on his SATS but you have to total the scores of the four times that I took the test.) Looking for someone compatible (Be between 30 & 99 and not inflatable.)
4 comments:
I don't think any of us need the advice to Beware of the IRS. I suspect we all beware very much already. Even if so far we've had no reason to.
They probably do need to warn people about oncoming tornadoes to the extent of scaring them into following advice from authorities. But to label them "unsurvivable" is going too far, IMO. If they tell me I won't survive, I won't take any precautions at all. I'll make myself a drink and a snack and get comfy on the couch and wait for it to get me.
I very much hope nobody here got compromised by the loss of all that data. I suppose the best advice is what the guy on the radio says: Freeze your credit with all three agencies. If you have to reinstate it, it's maybe a hassle, but at least you're relatively free for the time it's frozen. Not that I take my own advice. Keep meaning to do that and never seem to get around to it.
Okay, I think I only have a couple items... uh maybe several. First is the sketchy preparer - that would be me. Then I've been audited before, twice, but that was over twenty years ago. I do have my own business and a home office but, knocking wood, that's been the case for the last twenty years. I don't have to worry about being rich and I end up taking standard deducts, rather than itemized deducts. Geez, Bill, you know what a twit I am about taxes!
Don't know if the scary warnings will do any good, particularly for people who've lived in the Midwest and those areas for any period of time. Hard to tell. In FL, they put out horror stories about hurricanes and predictions of what could happen and about 50% of the people ignored them and stayed put. But... I lived in the Midwest and, when it comes to tornadoes, you can predict the potential and tell people what to watch for, but tornadoes are so unpredictable and hit with such little warning, you'd end up with half the population living in cellars, just in case. The standard rule was if you've got tornado potential weather and the wind suddenly died to nothing and the sky turned green, head for the basement. Otherwise, we pretty much continued about our business. It worked quite well.
As to the lost data - the agency shouldn't be telling people how to protect themselves (which costs money), they should be setting up monitoring accounts FREE to those affected, which will advise them of any changes in their credit activity, new account openings, unusual charges against credit card accounts or new accounts being opened under their names and SSNs. We've had four go-arounds in the past three years, with either hacking into an account or data being stolen from an insurance or investment company or whatever and, in each case, we've been lucky they provided us with "free to us" credit monitoring.
Hi Pat
The IRS doesn't really scare me and the article is pretty good about pointing out what they watch for.
It is the same thing with evacuation orders. No matter how severe the warnings are people ignore them. I wrote on the blo a while back about evacuation orders, every time there is a storm or fire I get five searches a day about what happens if you ignore them. Instead of packing up and getting out of there they are home on their computer figuring out how to avoid the order.
I think they need to do more than scare them about tornado warnings I think they need to threaten them with jail if they don't listen. Not because of them, but because of the grief and the extra work they cause emergency workers.
I have some pretty good security protection. I pay attention to my credit reports and bills. It is amazing how many people don't even look at their bills. I like your idea of freezing credit cards.
Bill
Hi DR
I think we are all sketchy preparers. It is human nature. The rules for office in home changed this year but you still qualify.
Believe or not over half the audited end up in a taxpayer getting a refund or having no tax due. And you are not a twit about taxes. You do a pretty damn good job on yours.
People are hard to convince and I am with you in not knowing if the scary warnings will do any good. Even if the tornados are unpredictible I think better safe than sorry should be the mantra. Interesting rule.
I completely agree with you that
the agency shouldn't be telling people how to protect themselves and that they should be setting up monitoring accounts FREE to those affected. I remember the nightmares you had to deal with with the hacking and information stealing and no doubt it would have been much harder to deal with it without free credit marketing
Bill
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