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Cansomeonelegallydig through your trash look- ing for credit card re- ceipts, ac- count num- bers or even your So- cial Secu- rity number? In the deci- sion of Cal- ifornia v. Greenwood, the U.S. Su- preme Court stated that the "expectation of privacy in trash left for collection in an area accessible to the public" is unreasonable. In other words, when you throw something in your trash and then drag the container to the street for pickup, it is available to anyone willing to overlook the disgusting smells and textures within. Think that doesn't hap- pen? It has. It does. And sadly, it will continue. WHY SHRED In 2015, more than 13 million people fell victim to identity theft felonies in the U.S. Identity fraud is a se- rious issue — this band of thieves has reportedly stolen $112 billion in the past six years. That equals $35,600 stolen per minute, or enough to pay for four years of college every four minutes. Some of these victims could have prevented this from happening by simply shredding their identify- ing documents. If you do not know how to effectively shred your most important docu- ments, it's time to learn. WHAT TO SHRED The rule of thumb is to shred any paper or doc- ument that contains per- sonally identifying infor- mation, such as your sig- nature, name, address, phone number, Social Se- curity number, account number and any other in- formation that is uniquely yours. That means any- thing and everything — the address labels on junk mail and magazines, lug- gage tags, pay stubs, ATM recipes, airline tickets, photocopies of birth cer- tificates, expired pass- ports and tax returns older than three years. When in doubt, err on the side of shredding. HOW TO SHRED As difficult as it is for me to imagine, some shredded documents can be reconstructed through painstaking tedious work by motivated identity thieves who have pressure- sensitive tape. If the shred strips a machine produces are fairly large, that is yet another potential haz- ard. To that end, tearing up your documents be- fore you put them into the trash is a total waste of time. Even a child could put those pieces back to- gether. BEST INEXPENSIVE HOME SHREDDERS My pick for the best in- expensive shredder is Am- azonBasics 8-Sheet High- Security Micro-Cut Paper, CD and Credit Card Shred- der with Pullout Basket. This model produces al- most confetti-like shreds and operates for up to two minutes before needing a 40-minute cooldown. You can shred a lot in two min- utes! And it will shred credit cards and CDs one at a time. It costs about $70. Shredding, while man- datory for the paper in your life, doesn't address private information in the hands of merchants and service providers and on social media. That's where LifeLock Identity Theft Protection comes in to protect you. Wouldyouliketosend 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. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE To shred, or not to shred? The Massenkoff Russian Folk Festival is scheduled to perform at 7:30 p.m. Sat- urday, Feb. 4 at Red Bluff's State Theatre, with the box office opening at 6:30 p.m., as part of the Tehama Con- cert Series. This is a rare opportunity to enjoy an authentic look into the culture of Russian folk song and dance. You will hear Balalaika music and see Russian folk ballet. Throughout the perfor- mance attendees will ex- perience genuine Russian style folk music and beau- tiful authentic costumes. The artists in this com- pany include professional musicians and dancers led by the show's founder, Niko- lai Massenkoff. This concert is free to Te- hama Concert Series season ticket members. Non-mem- bers may purchase tickets at the door. Single-concert ticket prices are $30 per adult and $10 for students under 25. Concert series member- ships and season tickets, which include admission to this performance, will be available for purchase in the lobby. For more information, call 727-8727 or visit www. tehamaconcertseries.org. Find the concert series on Facebook at www.face- book.com/TehamaCon- certSeries/. TEHAMA CONCERT SERIES Ma ss en ko ff R us sia n Fo lk Festival coming to State CONTRIBUTED The Massenkoff Russian Folk Festival. Mary Hunt PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. Thankyou! Taxpayers have funda- mental rights under the law. The "Taxpayer Bill of Rights" presents these rights in 10 categories. This helps taxpayers when they interact with the IRS. Publication 1, Your Rights as a Taxpayer, high- lights a list of taxpayer rights and the agency's ob- ligations to protect them. Here is a wrap-up of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights: 1. The Right to Be In- formed. Taxpayers have the right to know what is required to comply with the tax laws. They are entitled to clear explanations of the laws and IRS procedures in all tax forms, instruc- tions, publications, notices and correspondence. They have the right to know about IRS decisions af- fecting their accounts and clear explanations of the outcomes. 2. The Right to Quality Service. Taxpayers have the right to receive prompt, courte- ous and professional as- sistance in their dealings with the IRS and the free- dom to speak to a super- visor about inadequate service. Communications from the IRS should be clear and easy to under- stand. 3. The Right to Pay No More than the Correct Amount of Tax. Taxpayers have the right to pay only the amount of tax legally due, includ- ing interest and penalties. They should also expect the IRS to apply all tax payments properly. 4. The Right to Chal- lenge the IRS's Position and Be Heard. Taxpayers have the right to object to formal IRS ac- tions or proposed actions and provide justification with additional documen- tation. They should expect that the IRS will consider their timely objections and documentation promptly and fairly. If the IRS does not agree with their posi- tion, they should expect a response. 5. The Right to Appeal an IRS Decision in an In- dependent Forum. Taxpayers are enti- tled to a fair and impar- tial administrative appeal of most IRS decisions, in- cluding certain penalties. Taxpayers have the right to receive a written response regarding a decision from the Office of Appeals. Tax- payers generally have the right to take their cases to court. 6. The Right to Final- ity. Taxpayers have the right to know the maxi- mum amount of time they have to challenge an IRS position and the maxi- mum amount of time the IRS has to audit a partic- ular tax year or collect a tax debt. Taxpayers have the right to know when the IRS concludes an au- dit. 7. The Right to Privacy. Taxpayers have the right to expect that any IRS inquiry, examina- tion or enforcement ac- tion will comply with the law and be no more in- trusive than necessary. They should expect such proceedings to respect all due process rights, in- cluding search and sei- zure protections. The IRS will provide, where ap- plicable, a collection due process hearing. 8. The Right to Confi- dentiality. Taxpayers have the right to expect that their tax in- formation will remain con- fidential. The IRS will not disclose information un- less authorized by the tax- payer or by law. Taxpay- ers should expect the IRS to take appropriate action against employees, return preparers and others who wrongfully use or disclose their return information. 9. The Right to Retain Representation. Taxpayers have the right to retain an authorized representative of their choice to represent them in their dealings with the IRS. Taxpayers have the right to seek assistance from a Low Income Tax- payer Clinic if they cannot afford representation. 10. The Right to a Fair and Just Tax System. Taxpayers have the right to expect fairness from the tax system. This includes considering all facts and circumstances that might affect their underlying li- abilities, ability to pay or ability to provide informa- tion timely. Taxpayers have the right to receive assis- tance from the Taxpayer Advocate Service if they are experiencing financial difficulty or if the IRS has not resolved their tax is- sues properly and timely through its normal chan- nels. The IRS will include Publication 1 when send- ing a notice to taxpayers on a range of issues, such as an audit or collection matter. IRS offices display the rights for taxpayers and employees to see. Publication 1 is available in English, Chinese, Ko- rean, Russian, Span- ish and Vietnamese. All taxpayers should keep a copy of their tax re- turn. Beginning in 2017, taxpayers using a soft- ware product for the first time may need their Ad- justed Gross Income amount from their prior- year tax return to verify their identity. Taxpayers can learn more about how to verify their identity and electronically sign tax re- turns at Validating Your Electronically Filed Tax Return. IRS How the 'Taxpayer Bill of Rights' works Noted educator and in- structor Jamie Martin will be at the Shasta College Main Campus for a free seminar on how to effec- tively use assistive technol- ogies to help student with learning differences reach academic success. This two-day event will begin 2-3:30 p.m. or 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23 with a presentation on As- sistive Technology for Stu- dents with Learning Dif- ferences on the Student Center Stage inside build- ing 2000. Martin will focus his presentation on Assistive Technologies and Univer- sal Design for Learning including text-to-speech, dictation, word predic- tion, study skills and graphic organizers to in- crease a student's aca- demic success. Martin will explore mul- tiple student case studies and demonstrate how it can help students inde- pendently access educa- tional materials, 8:30 a.m. to noon, Feb. 24 in room 802, building 800. Specific tools will be dis- cussed and demonstrated including software for Windows and Mac com- puters, Chrome exten- sions, iPad apps and built- in accessibility features of various operating systems. This event and parking are free, RSVP at https:// jmartin.eventbrite.com. Martin is an assistive technology consultant and trainer, specializing in finding assistive tech- nology tools for students and adults with dyslexia. 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