Tax Fraud Is on the Rise, Take Extra Care to Avoid Phishing Scams

in , , , /by

The Internal Revenue Service renewed a consumer alert for e-mail schemes (phishing scams) after seeing an approximate 400 percent surge in phishing and malware incidents so far this tax season.

In a press release, the IRS reported:

The Internal Revenue Service renewed a consumer alert for e-mail schemes after seeing an approximate 400 percent surge in phishing and malware incidents so far this tax season.

The emails are designed to trick taxpayers into thinking these are official communications from the IRS or others in the tax industry, including tax software companies…E-mails can seek information related to refunds, filing status, confirming personal information, ordering transcripts and verifying PIN information.

When you click on any of those email links, you’re taken to a site that looks just like an official IRS page but is actually a fraud site asking for your personal information. Those sites might also contain malware. There were over a thousand of these incidents reported to the IRS in January, compared with just 254 that same time last year.

The IRS says it typically doesn’t email taxpayers asking for any personal information, so that’s the biggest red flag right there: simply getting an email from an entity claiming to be the IRS. And here are a few recent email scam subject lines:
  • Numerous variations about people’s tax refund
  • Update your filing details, which can include references to W-2.
  • Confirm your personal information.
  • Get my IP Pin.
  • Get my E-file Pin.
  • Order a transcript.
  • Complete your tax return information.

The IRS says variations of this scam are sent via text, too. It also helps to know the common characteristics of a phone call scam, because scammers will often follow up their calls with an email. They might be able to recite the last four of your Social Security number or even spoof the IRS’s toll-free number on your caller ID. If you think you’ve been sent a scam, forward it to phishing@irs.govand, obviously, don’t click on anything in the email. You can also call the IRS directly at 1.800.829.1040 to see if they are indeed trying to reach you.

Source: Tax Fraud Is on the Rise, Take Extra Care to Avoid Phishing Scams

How Working Out Helped Me Bust a Fraudulent Workers’ Comp Powerlifter

2 Comments/in , /by

“You wouldn’t mind if I… you know… videotaped us working out, would you?” I said to Lifter Guy, a man I suspected of fraud. “Just to look at my form and stuff?”

“No problem. You gonna put it on YouTube or something?” Lifter Guy responded.

“Yeah,” I smirked, “something like that.”

Little did Lifter Guy know that I was a Private Investigator (P.I.) working undercover to videotape him powerlifting while defrauding the workers’ compensation system.

Read more

Introduction To Tenant Screening: All That You Need To Know

2 Comments/in , /by

Tenant screening is a proven way of evaluating potential tenants, their ability to fulfill the rental terms, provide the necessary care of the property, and pay the rent timely.

Perfect tenants guarantee the landlord’s long-term financial stability and peace of mind, the property’s good condition preserved for the next residents, and the neighborhood’s safe and favorable atmosphere.

A comprehensive tenant screening provides the landlord with a detailed report of a prospective tenant’s story, with a specific focus on credit score (or credit range), criminal record, and eviction precedents.

Tenant Screening

Whether the property owners decide to carry out tenant screening on their own or use the services of reputable tenant screening companies, the whole process starts with the potential tenant filling out an application form. In the form, the applicants give their personal details, which allow identity verification, their preferences, reference information, and, most importantly, they authorize the procurement of a tenant screening report. Without the tenant’s written consent, it will be impossible (and illegal) to collect any confidential credit information. At this point, it is also important to ensure that the same information is required from all the tenants and no discrimination is taking place. The appropriate questions will be about employment, current and previous landlords, banking information, and, in certain cases, income.

Sometimes, people in search of a new accommodation order the so-called “tenant-initiated” screenings and then bring them to the prospective landlord. This may be a good sign indicating responsible tenants, as they do not have the possibility to modify the screening report provided by a consumer-reporting agency. However, working with a professional, qualified tenant screening company of your own is the best avenue. Why? Because having a team of your own dedicated investigators checking the background of your tenants ensures you’ll get the most accurate and reliable results.

Consumer-Reporting Agencies

Consumer reporting agencies, which specialize in credit history, most people would like to know where the information comes from and how credible it is. CRAs are regulated by the Fair Credit Reporting Act and collect information from public records with the aim of providing an adequate recommendation based on the landlord’s criteria. The credit score (or range) of the tenant is normally taken from one of the three national credit bureaus Experian, Equifax, or Transunion. The agencies also check the tenants on sex offender search, terrorist watchlist search, national and county criminal search. Thе eviction history comes from public landlord/tenant court records. Some property owners report that the criminal and eviction background check results varied depending on how many of the neighboring counties were checked. Taking into account that not all local records may already be online, this is the point to pay special attention to. Gravitas makes sure we check all previously lived in counties from each tenant.

The Perfect Solution

One more legal detail for landlords to remember is that when they make a decision of denying the applicant or approving him or her conditionally (with an increased deposit or cosigner), the applicant has the right to know the agency which compiled the tenant screening report and see a copy of it. The applicants can also dispute the accuracy of the report provided.

Nowadays, a thorough tenant screening is behind the majority of landlords’ approvals. Tenant screenings have become prompt and affordable, keeping the property owners away from potential risks and ensuring the security of investment.

How To Beat A Surveillance Investigator At His (Or Her) Own Game

4 Comments/in , , , , /by

First, if you want to beat surveillance, let’s assume a few things.

Let’s say you get hurt at work, become an “injured worker,” and file a workers’ compensation claim (WC). And let’s also say that after you’re off work for a few days, you start to enjoy not having to get up and go to work every morning. You get paid about two-thirds of your weekly paycheck for sitting on your behind. Occasionally, your employer makes you attend medical checkups and visits, but that’s it.

You like your new life.

What you don’t know is that your employer and insurance company has hired a surveillance investigator to discover exactly what you are doing with this newfound free time.

There are tons of red flags that signal to an employer that a workers’ compensation claimant is fraudulent. To find out if an employee is abusing the system, employers hire private investigators to conduct surveillance to follow up on those suspicions.

We stake out your house, dig through your public records, and scour your social media posts for clues. We want to catch you, but you don’t want to get caught. You’ve become accustomed to your lifestyle.

Have you ever asked yourself, “Is there a private investigator near me?”

Well, here’s how to get away with workers’ compensation fraud and not get caught by a private investigator.

Read more