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DearMary:Wehavean aging car that is a lemon. We are keeping it going with baling wire until we can af- ford a dif- ferent car. When that time comes, besides our temptation to shove it over a cliff, what should we do with our lemon? In good con- science I cannot even do- nate it to a charity. —SueEllen DEARSUEELLEN If you feel it is not drivable when that time comes, about your only option would be to sell it for salvage. Check with a local auto-disman- tling yard. Depending on the make and model, they may decide to "part it out," which might make the car slightly more valuable to them than it is to you. In that case, they will prob- ably accept the complete car. If you sell it for only the scrap metal, you will likely have to remove the engine, tires, radiator and other vital parts ahead of time, delivering just the metal. Just don't expect to get much money from the deal. You may discover that it's easier to drive a lemon than to get rid of one! In the meantime, as you wait out this car's use- ful life, you might en- joy knowing how another reader lives happily with an old car. DEAR MARY Recently, I observed my adult son do something that my hus- band and I had practiced when he was growing up: own your cheap, old car and rent when you need something more. Over the years when scouting trips, family vacations and special events required a larger, more comfortable vehi- cle, we rented a minivan. Our everyday used cars were paid for in cash and maintained until they died. The cost of our mini- van rentals was frequently shared, so this made our strategy even more cost ef- fective. We compared car costs with another family that had purchased a min- ivan and used it for fam- ily transportation. Our overall costs compared to theirs were significantly lower. We took into consid- eration fuel, insurance and license fees. We still rent cars for long trips or when we need to haul a group. The strategy is valid for just the two of us. My current car is almost 30 years old. We have long had the cash on hand to replace it with some- thing younger. — Judy DEAR JUDY I love your strategy, not only because it's practical but also be- cause it forces you to plan ahead, which is always a good thing. Now for that 30-year old car — I'm sure I am not the only one won- dering its make, model and mileage. DEAR MARY When I saw a recent news re- port showing an "eth- ical" hacker breaking a seven-digit password in 37 seconds, I de- cided it was time to up- date all my passwords. What better reminder to keep spending in check than to use your pass- word as a personal goal reminder? For exam- ple: "debtkillsdreams" or "theborrowerissla- vetothelender." Or how about "keepspendingin- check"? Add in your per- sonal choice of numbers or special characters, and you have a built-in reminder system every time you log into your account. The longer your password, the safer it is, too. — Kimberly DEAR KIBERLY Brilliant, simply brilliant. I love this so much that I'm going to change some passwords right now. Would you like to send a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAY CHEAPSKATE When driving a lemon is easier than getting rid of it Mary Hunt WASHINGTON Following the emergence of new vari- ations of widespread tax scams, the Internal Reve- nue Service today issued an- other warning to taxpayers to remain on high alert and protect themselves against the ever-evolving array of deceitful tactics scammers use to trick people. These schemes — which can occur over the phone, in e-mails or through letters with authentic looking let- terhead — try to trick tax- payers into providing per- sonal financial information or scare people into making a false tax payment that ends up with the criminal. The Treasury Inspec- tor General for Tax Admin- istration (TIGTA) has re- ceived reports of roughly 600,000 contacts since Oc- tober 2013. TIGTA is also aware of more than 4,000 victims who have collec- tively reported over $20 million in financial losses as a result of tax scams. "We continue to see these aggressive tax scams across the country," IRS Com- missioner John Koskinen said. "Scam artists spe- cialize in being deceptive and fooling people. The IRS urges taxpayers to be extra cautious and think twice before answering sus- picious phone calls, emails or letters." Scammers posing as IRS agents first targeted those they viewed as most vulner- able, such as older Ameri- cans, newly arrived immi- grants and those whose first language is not Eng- lish. These criminals have expanded their net and are now targeting virtually any- one. In a new variation, scam- mers alter what appears on your telephone caller ID to make it seem like they are with the IRS or another agency such as the Depart- ment of Motor Vehicles. They use fake names, titles and badge numbers. They use online resources to get your name, address and other details about your life to make the call sound of- ficial. They even go as far as copying official IRS let- terhead for use in email or regular mail. Brazen scam- mers will even provide their victims with directions to the nearest bank or busi- ness where the victim can obtain a means of payment such as a debit card. And in another new variation of these scams, con artists may then provide an actual IRS address where the vic- tim can mail a receipt for the payment — all in an at- tempt to make the scheme look official. The most common theme with these tricks seems to be fear. Scammers try to scare people into reacting immediately without taking a moment to think through what is actually happening. These scam artists often angrily threaten police ar- rest, deportation, license re- vocation or other similarly unpleasant things. They may also leave "urgent" callback requests, some- times through "robo-calls," via phone or email. The emails will often contain a fake IRS document with a telephone number or email address for your reply. It is important to remem- ber the official IRS website is IRS.gov. Taxpayers are urged not to be confused or misled by sites claim- ing to be the IRS but end- ing in .com, .net, .org or other designations instead of .gov. Taxpayers should never provide personal in- formation, financial or oth- erwise, to suspicious web- sites or strangers calling out of the blue. Below are five things scammers often do that the real IRS would never do: The IRS will never: Angrily demand imme- diate payment over the phone, nor will the agency call about taxes owed with- out first having mailed you a bill. Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforce- ment groups to have you ar- rested for not paying. Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe. Require you to use a spe- cific payment method for your taxes, such as a pre- paid debit card. Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone. Here's what you should do if you think you're the target of an IRS imperson- ation scam: If you actually do owe taxes, call the IRS at 1-800- 829-1040. IRS workers can help you with a payment is- sue. If you know you don't owe taxes or do not imme- diately believe that you do, you can report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Adminis- tration (TIGTA) at 1-800- 366-4484. If you've been targeted by any scam, be sure to con- tact the Federal Trade Com- mission and use their FTC Compliant Assistant at FTC. gov. Please add "IRS Tele- phone Scam" to the com- ments of your complaint. For more information on reporting tax scams, go to IRS.gov and type "scam" in the search box. IRS Don't be tricked: Guard against new schemes by scam artists By Jennifer Cooper Social Security manager in Redding Social Security has pro- vided critical financial help to people of all ages for the last 80 years, and despite our age, we're far from retiring. As the So- cial Security program cele- brates its historic birthday this August, we're reflect- ing on our diverse history, our current strengths, and ways we can continue to improve our services to you. On Aug. 14, 1935, Pres- ident Franklin D. Roos- evelt signed the Social Se- curity Act into law. In do- ing so, he promised the law would protect "the av- erage citizen and his fam- ily against the loss of a job and against poverty-ridden old age." Today, we continue to provide financial security for our country's most vulnerable citizens. In fact, Social Security pro- vides world-class service to millions of people ev- ery day — online, on the phone, and in our net- work of field offices across the country. As we celebrate 80 years, we're proud to pres- ent our "Celebrating the Past and Building the Fu- ture" anniversary website. There, you can read 80 in- teresting facts about an agency that touches ev- eryone's life at some point or another! For example, did you know the original name of the Social Security Act was the Economic Se- curity Act? The anniversary web- site also includes a time- line of our history. It be- gins with the signing of the Act in 1935 and ends with this year's announce- ment of Vision 2025, our bold vision that will guide the agency as we work to meet the future customer service needs of the public. A memorable spot on the timeline is November 2, 2000, the date when we started taking retirement claims online. Since our agency's be- ginning, we've relied on our passionate and hard- working employees to face challenges and pro- vide exceptional service. Throughout the 80 days leading up to our anni- versary, we've been post- ing employee testimo- nials that answer the question, "Why do you serve?" We also invited you to share your story with us. You can tell us how Social Security has made a difference in your life and the lives of your family and friends. We would love to hear from you, the people we serve every day. When the Social Se- curity program started 80 years ago, our goal was to provide an eco- nomic lifeline for peo- ple in need. Today, So- cial Security continues to protect millions of people. Join us in com- memorating this signif- icant milestone. Visit w w w. so c ia l se c u r it y. gov/80thanniversary. SENIORS 80 years of Social Security Dispose of expired, un- wanted or unused pre- scription drugs and other medications during the Drug Enforcement Admin- istration's next prescrip- tion drug take-back day scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26 at the Tehama County Sher- iff's Office, 22840 Antelope Blvd. in Red Bluff and the Corning Police Depart- ment, 774 Third St. The program is anony- mous — no identification is required — and free to participants. Prescription and over the counter solid dosage medications, i.e. tablets and capsules are accepted. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should re- main sealed in their orig- inal containers. Intra-venous solutions, injectables, needles and illicit substances, such as marijuana or metham- phetamine, are not part of this initiative and will not be accepted. For needle disposal sites information, call the Tehama County Sanitary Landfill Agency at 528- 1103. The DEA is coordinat- ing with state and local law enforcement agen- cies nationwide to re- move potentially danger- ous controlled substances from our medicine cabi- nets. Corning Police De- partment, The Tehama County Sheriff Office, Te- hama County Health Ser- vices Agency and Tehama County Landfill are part- nering in this effort. Expired, unwanted or unused medications are a potential source of supply for illegal use and pose an unac- ceptable risk to public health and safety. For questions regarding this program, call Laura Calkins at 824-7015. PUBLIC HEALTH Prescription drug take-back day set COURTESYPHOTO A resident disposes of unwanted medication during a DEA prescription drug take-back day. Takeuswithyou!FollowusonTwitterandFacebookforupdatesandmore. DENTAL HYGIENIST NEEDED PLEASE FAX RESUME TO 530-527-6551 Smog Check (MOST CARS & PICK-UPS) 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St. starting at $ 29 95 + $ 8 25 certificate Allmakesandmodels. 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