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16 www.DesertMessenger.com May 3, 2017 Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ DesertMessengerNews Follow on Twitter @DesertMessenger @QuartzsiteRain UPCOMING EVENTS AT THE VFW VFW MEMBERS AND GUESTS NOTE: VFW Auxiliary is collecting coupons you may have that you won't use. These go to the military families who can use them up to 6 months after expiration. Please help us in this endeavor to assist our Veterans. Coupons can be left at Post. We are also collecting labels for the school and National Home for Children. Can leave items at Post Lobby. VFW Post 769 VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS 305 N. Central, Quartzsite, AZ, 928-927-7697 FRIDAYS – 5:00 PM TO 7:00 PM – Hamburgers -- $5.00 donation Cheeseburgers -- $5.50 donation. New York Steak Sandwich -- $7.50 Includes choice of fries or green salad May 5- Cinco de Mayo - Free chips and salsa and nachos (no hamburgers will be served) MAY 13 – VFW and AUXILIARY MEETINGS 10:00 A.M. 11:30 A.M. – INSTALLATION OF ELECTED OFFICERS AND CHAIRMEN FOR 2017-2018 Following installation will be a potluck lunch with VFW furnishing the meat. Please bring a dish of salad or dessert to share. MAY 14 – MOTHERS DAY!! – Prime Rib Dinner with Prime Rib, Baked Potato, Vegetable, salad and desert FREE MIMOSA TO ALL MOTHERS Reserve and Pay in advance $12 donation or Pay on May 14 - $15 donation MAY 20 – ARMED FORCES DAY. Be sure to fly your flag, please. MAY 29 – MEMORIAL DAY – Ceremony at 10am at the Cemetery. JUNE 10- VFW & AUXILIARY MEETINGS 10am JUNE 14-17 VFW State Convention at Ft. McDowell JUNE 18 FATHER'S DAY - Check with Post JULY 4 - PICNIC AT THE PARK - VFW Volunteers will be serving hamburg- ers & hot dogs. PLEASE CHECK AT POST AS ADDITIONAL EVENTS MAY BE SCHEDULED Check at the Post or on the VFW Post 769 website for information on additional activities being planned. www.vfwpost769.org Comrades meet –2nd Saturday each month –10:00 a.m. at Post Auxiliary meets – 2nd Saturday in the dining room area at 10:00 a.m. House Committee meeting – 2nd Saturday each month -9:00 a.m. at Post Some Taxpayer Debts Assigned to Private Collection Agencies The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has changed the way it deals with over- due taxes, and that means third party collection agencies may now call. Like the IRS, Better Business Bureau (BBB) is concerned this change might lead to scammers trying new ways to trick people. Here is what you need to know about the program that started in April 2017. A federal law signed in 2015 allows four contractors to collect unpaid tax debts for the government. Accord- ing to the IRS, these are unpaid tax debts that were assessed several years ago and which the agency is no longer trying to collect directly. The four companies contracted by the IRS are BBB Accredited Businesses: The C B E Group, Inc. 1309 Technology Pkwy Cedar Falls, IA 50613 ConServe 200 CrossKeys Offi ce park Fairport, NY 14450 Performant 333 N Canyons Pkwy Livermore, CA 94551 Pioneer Credit Recovery, Inc. 325 Daniel Zenker Dr Horseheads, NY 14845 There are many ways to tell whether a call about tax debt is legitimate. According to the IRS, people with overdue taxes will receive multiple notifi cations, including letters and phone calls, from the IRS fi rst. The IRS will also notify taxpayers before sending accounts to a private collec- tion agency. Here's how it will work and how you can tell the difference between a legit- imate debt collector and a scammer: • The IRS and the private debt col- lection company will both send a letter to the taxpayer fi rst. If you get a call fi rst and had no idea you owed taxes, be cautious. NOTE: Taxpayers who have recently moved may have missed notifi cation letters, which can lead to confusion if their fi rst contact is from the col- lection agency. Taxpayers can use Form 8822 to update the IRS with a new address at www.irs.gov/uac/ form-8822- change-of-address. • Private debt collectors will be able to identify themselves as con- tractors of the IRS collecting taxes. These employees must comply with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and, like IRS employees, must be courteous and respect taxpayers' rights. If the caller yells, curses, or threatens arrest, it is not a legiti- mate collector. Hang up. • Private debt collectors will not ask for, and cannot accept, credit card information over the phone. Con- sumers will pay the IRS directly and will not need to send any money to the private debt collection com- pany. Learn about payment options at www.irs.gov/payments. You can also see your balance and payment history online. If the caller asks you to pay them directly, and especially if they ask for an unusual form of payment, such as wire transfer or gift card, it's a scam. Hang up! • Taxpayers can ask for their account to be transferred from the private debt collection back to the IRS. The IRS adds that private collection fi rms will only be calling about long- standing tax debts notifi ed about previously. Taxpayers can check whether they have unpaid tax debt at www.irs.gov/balancedue. BBB reminds consumers, particu- larly those who have outstanding tax debts, that the IRS will explain the new process clearly and will make every attempt to work with them to set up payment plans. The IRS will also give taxpayers the chance to question or appeal the amount owed. For more information and updates, visit www.irs.gov/businesses/ small- businesses-self-employed/ private-debt-collection. BBB Warning: IRS may call you after all

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