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InternalRevenueService Aggressive and threaten- ing phone calls by criminals impersonating Internal Rev- enue Service agents remain a major threat to taxpay- ers, and remain on the an- nual "Dirty Dozen" list of tax scams for the filing season. During filing season, the IRS generally sees a surge in scam phone calls that threaten police arrest, de- portation, license revocation and other things. The IRS reminds taxpayers to guard againstallsortsofcongames that arise at any time and pick up during tax season. "Don't be fooled by sur- prise phone calls by crim- inals impersonating IRS agents with threats or prom- isesofabigrefundifyoupro- vide them with your private information," said IRS Com- missioner John Koskinen. "If you're surprised to get a call from the IRS, it almost cer- tainly isn't the real IRS. We generally initially contact taxpayers by mail." The Dirty Dozen is com- piled annually by the IRS and lists a variety of com- mon scams taxpayers may encounter any time during the year. Many of these con gamespeakduringfilingsea- son as people prepare their tax returns or hire someone to do so. The treasury inspector general for tax administra- tion reports they have be- come aware of more than 10,000 victims who have col- lectively paid over $54 mil- lion as a result of phone scams since October 2013. "Everyone can share the word about scam phone calls — just hang up and don't engage these people," Koskinen said. "Despite re- cent successes against phone scam artists, these scams constantly evolve and peo- ple need to remain vigilant. We'd like to thank law-en- forcement, tax profession- als, consumer advocates, the states, other government agencies,thetreasuryinspec- tor general for tax adminis- tration and many others for helpinguscontinuethisfight and protect taxpayers." How do the scams work? Scammers make unso- licited calls claiming to be IRS officials. They demand that the victim pay a bogus tax bill. They con the vic- tim into sending cash, usu- ally through a wire trans- fer or a prepaid debit card or giftcard,likeaniTunescard. Theymayalsoleave"urgent" callback requests through phone "robo-calls," or via a phishing email. Many phone scams use threats to intimidate and bully a victim into paying. They may even threaten to arrest, deport or revoke the driver'slicenseoftheirvictim if they don't get the money. Scammers often alter caller ID numbers to make it look like the IRS or another agency is calling. The callers use IRS employee titles and fake badge numbers to ap- pear legitimate. They may use the victim's name, ad- dress and other personal in- formation to make the call sound official. The IRS also reminded taxpayers today that scam- mers change tactics. Aggres- sive and threatening phone calls by criminals imperson- ating IRS agents remain a majorthreattotaxpayers,but variations of the IRS imper- sonationscamcontinueyear- round and they tend to peak when scammers find prime opportunities to strike. Here are some things the scammers often do but the IRS will not do. The IRS will never: • Call to demand imme- diate payment using a spe- cific payment method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Gener- ally, the IRS will first mail a billtoanytaxpayerwhoowes taxes. •Threatentoimmediately bring in local police or other law enforcement groups to have the taxpayer arrested for not paying. • Demand that taxes be paid without giving the taxpayer the opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed. • Ask for credit or debit cardnumbersoverthephone. Stay alert to scams that use the IRS as a lure. Tax scams can happen any time of year, not just at tax time. TAXSCAMS Phone scams remain on IRS list of tax scams Saving money is a curi- ous term with two mean- ings: to spend less, as in "I buy things on sale to save money," and to physically place money where it is safe from being spent. That's fine, but here's the problem: It's easy to trick yourself into think- ing that the meanings are the same. They are not, unless of course you stop by the bank to deposit into your savings the dif- ference between what you would have spent had an item not been on sale. That would be a clever way to boost your cash stash this year and at the same time adjust your mindset on what it re- ally means to save money. Here are eight more: TAX YOURSELF Decide right now that you will tax yourself each time you make an ATM with- drawal. It might be $5 or $10. You decide. What- ever the amount, make sure you become a tough tax collector. No slacking, and no IOUs. IMPOSE A MORATORIUM Select a specific denom- ination of currency, like the $1 or $5 bill, that you will no longer spend and will instead save. Forbid yourself from spending it. Get very strict. Why not go with the $5 bill? Your stash will grow so much faster if you absolutely refuse to spend any Abe Lincolns. HOARD COUPON SAVINGS Starting today, here's the plan: When you shop for groceries, ask the clerk to total your order. Then, pay the full amount. Then, hand over the cou- pons and watch your to- tal plummet. Since you've already paid, the clerk should hand back the cash equal to your cou- pon savings. If there's a bank branch in the su- permarket, open a sav- ings account. It's easy to stop and make a savings deposit on your way out. Even if it's small, it all adds up. RACK UP REBATES They're coming back in a big way, as retailers want to make their prod- ucts appear cheaper with- out actually reducing the price. They offer a rebate knowing full well that only a small percentage of consumers who buy the item will ever carry through. No matter how small the rebate or how complicated the process, promise you will not be among the lazy bunch. Apply for a rebate; follow up, and then stash those rebates as they arrive. DRINK WATER Pay your- self a bonus, like a dollar or two, each time you eat out and opt for water in- stead of a pricey bever- age. Don't slack on your obligation to pay up. And remember, no IOUs al- lowed. MAKE A SWITCH Opt to exercise outdoors instead of paying for a gym mem- bership. Or decide to ride the subway instead of jumping into a cab. Iden- tify a name brand you will leave on the shelf this year in favor of its store-brand equivalent. Stash what you would have spent. GIVE IT UP Pick one thing that you will sacrifice for a specific period of time, such as the coming year. Just cut it out. Stash the amount that you would have spent on the thing — regular manicures, French fries, gourmet coffee, ciga- rettes — into your savings container or account. You could always do your own manicures, swear off junk food or brew your own coffee. As for that smok- ing habit, just imagine all the dough you could put in your stash if you were to give it up. TRICK YOURSELF When- ever you write a check or make a withdrawal from the ATM, record the amount in your checkbook registry, but round up the number to, say, the next dollar. Then, deduct that amount from the balance. At the end of the month, reconcile and stash the "Oops!" overage. 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 Eightwaystobuildacashstash By Justin McCuin Social Security manager in Red- ding MarchisWomen'sHistory Month — a time to focus not just on the past, but on the challenges women continue to face. Nearly 60 percent of the people receiving Social Se- curity benefits are women, andinthe21stcentury,more women work, pay Social Se- curity taxes and earn credit toward monthly retirement income than at any other time in our nation's history. Knowing this, you can be the author of your own rich and independent history, with a little preparation. Social Security has served a vital role in the lives of women for more than 80 years.Withlongerlifeexpec- tancies than men, women tend to live more years in re- tirement and have a greater chance of exhausting other sources of income. With the national av- erage life expectancy for women in the United States rising, many women will have decades to enjoy re- tirement. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a fe- male born today can expect to live more than 80 years. Asaresult,experts generally agree that if women want to ensure that their retire- ment years are comfortable, they need to plan early and wisely. You can start with a visit to Social Security's Re- tirement Estimator. It gives you a personalized estimate of your retirement benefits. Plug in different retirement ages and projected earnings to get an idea of how such thingsmightchangeyourfu- ture benefit amounts. You can use this valu- able tool at www.socialse- curity.gov/estimator. You should also visit Social Se- curity's financial planning website at www.socialse- curity.gov/planners. It pro- vides detailed information about how marriage, wid- owhood, divorce, self-em- ployment, government ser- vice, and other life or career events can affect your Social Security. SOCIAL SECURITY You and Women's History Month FUNDRAISER CONTRIBUTED Sally Ainsworth and Todd Deck display bunco prizes. The Tehama County Police Activities League and the Tehama County Friends of the Library present a fundraising event at 6:30 p.m. Monday, the Spring Bunco Bash. The event will be held at the Red Bluff Elks Lodge, 355 Gilmore Road. Regis- tration begins at 5:45 p.m. Tickets are $10 each. There will be lots of door prizes as well as prizes for most bun- cos, most wins and most losses. Proceeds will ben- efit PAL programs and the Summer Reading Pro- gram. Tickets are available at the Tehama County Li- brary or by contacting Kathy Hausman at 529- 7950 or 384-2003, or Sally Ainsworth at 527-0607, ex- tension 101. Spring Bunco Bash planned Mary Hunt LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, March 24, 2017 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B3