IRS audit scam, telephone area code 809 scam, SeniorSSuperStoreS Keeping in Touch newlsetter for baby boomers, seniors, senior citizens and the elderly

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This issue of Keeping in Touch deals with more matters of interest to Prime Time Surfers:
1.) Interesting Words of Wisdom
2.) IRS Audit Scam
3.) Telephone Area Code "809" Scam
4.) Kids say the cutest things!
5.) News From Yahoo
6.) Your subscription details

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1.) Interesting Words of Wisdom

1. Throw out non-essential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down. If you really need a grouch, there are probably a few dozen of your relatives to do the job.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Just never let the brain idle.
4. Enjoy the simple things. When the children are young, that is all that you can afford. When they are in college, that is all that you can afford. When they are grown, and you are on retirement, that is all that you can afford!
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. Laugh so much that you can be tracked in the store by your distinctive laughter.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it is family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health. If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Go to the mall, the next county, a foreign country, but not guilt.
10. Tell the people you love, that you love them, at every opportunity.
Remember, life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

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2.) IRS Audit Scam

Now that the agony of April 15 is over for another year, we can put the IRS on the "back burner" for awhile? Well, not exactly. There's always the risk of an IRS audit, but now internet scammers are getting in on the action.

As with most Internet scams, this one arrives by email (spam).

Here's how it works: Taxpayers receive a fraudulent email saying that they are under audit. (The email uses the term "IRS e-audit" in the subject line.) The taxpayer is instructed to fill out a questionnaire which supposedly must be completed within 48 hours to avoid penalties and interest. The taxpayers are asked for their social security numbers, bank account numbers and other confidential information.

Very important: The IRS does NOT notify taxpayers about pending audits via email. Nor do they conduct "e-audits." And, the IRS certainly does NOT ask for this kind of confidential, personal information.

In other words, this email is NOT from the IRS.

What to do? Do not provide any of the information requested. The fraudsters are either attempting to steal your money or your identity. If you receive this email, notify the IRS office in your area.

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Remember Mother's Day!

Don't forget that Sunday, May 12, 2002 is the special day to remember our mothers here in the US. In addition to the traditional phone call, card and maybe some flowers, you may want to honor her with a special gift - something she can really use or maybe just to pamper her a little.

We are already receiving orders for gifts that the person(s) making the purchase want us to ship the items directly to their mothers for them. We are happy to do so. That makes a lot of sense if they are too busy to go shopping, don't want to fight the traffic and parking hassles, or simply want to avoid crowds at the shopping malls. Just place your order with us and tell us where you want it shipped, and we do the rest!

If you are a mother wishing for that special someone to give you that special something, why not drop a hint?

And, while we're on the subject, don't forget that Father's Day is June 16!

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3.) Telephone Area Code "809" Scam

Don't respond to emails, phone calls, or pages which tell you to call an '809' phone number you don't recognize.

There are lots of different permutations of this scam, but here is how it works: You receive a message, either by email or on your answering machine or pager, which tells you to call a number beginning with area code 809. The reason you're told to call varies: it can be your last chance to avoid legal proceedings on a fictitious outstanding balance you owe, to receive information about a family member who has been ill, to notify you someone has been arrested or died, to offer you great work you can do at home, etc. You're told to call the 809 number right away.

Since there are so many new area codes these days, people unknowingly return these calls. If you call from the US, you will apparently be charged $25 per-minute, or more. Often, you'll get a long recorded message. The point is, they will try to keep you on the phone as long as possible to increase the charges. Unfortunately, when you get your phone bill, you'll be shocked!

Here's why it works: The 809 area code is located in the Caribbean. The 809 area code can be used as a "pay-per-call" number, similar to 900 numbers in the US. However, since 809 is not in the US, it is not covered by US regulations of 900 numbers. Therefore, there is no requirement that callers be notified and warned of charges and rates involved when they call these "pay-per-call" numbers. There is also no requirement that the company provide a time period during which you may terminate the call without being charged. Further, whereas many U.S. phones have 900 number blocking to avoid these kinds of charges, 900 number blocking will not prevent calls to the 809 area code.

We recommend that no matter how you get the message, if you are asked to call a number with an 809 area code that you don't recognize, don't investigate further. Just disregard the message.

It's important to prevent becoming a victim of this scam, since trying to fight the charges afterwards can become a real nightmare. That's because you did actually make the call.

If you complain, both your local phone company and your long distance carrier will not want to get involved and will most likely tell you that they are simply providing the billing for the foreign company. You'll end up dealing with a foreign company that argues they have done nothing wrong.

Things are about to get worse, because that infamous offshore area code (809) is in the process of breaking up into smaller chunks, and you'll soon have to think twice about calling any of the following area codes:
242, 246, 264, 268, 284, 345, 441, 473, 664, 758, 767, 784, 787, 868, 869, 876 as well as 809.

This advice is courtesy of Dr. Audri Lanford, co-editor of Internet ScamBusters. Internet ScamBusters is a free electronic newsletter (zine) that was created to help business owners avoid scams, blatantly wrong information and baseless hype. It is published monthly by Audri and Jim Lanford (WZ.com Inc.), leading experts on Internet scams.

For a free subscription to Internet ScamBusters, simply send an email to scambusters@svr.com that says "subscribe" in the subject field. Or visit the ScamBusters Web site at www.scambusters.org.

Please forward this entire message to your friends, family and colleagues to help them become aware of this scam.

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4.) Here are some cute memories that children make for us:

My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo while I asked, "No, how are we alike?" "You're both old," he replied.

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I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me, and always she was correct. But it was fun for me, so I continued. At last she headed for the door, saying sagely, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these yourself!"

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When my grandson, Billy, and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use, Grandpa. The mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."

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A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year olds, "What does love mean?"

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca - age 8.

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4.

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5.

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - age 6.

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4.

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7.

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 5.

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend whom you hate." Nikka - age 6.

"There are two kinds of love. Our love. God's love. But God makes both kinds of them." Jenny - age 4.

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - age 7.

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6.

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - age 5.

"Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he's handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris - age 8.
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4.

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica - age 8.

We hope you recall many times when a child has made some pleasant memories for you! And, if you want to share them with us, send us an email at mail@seniorssuperstores.com.

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5.) News From Yahoo:

From a review of our subscribers to "Keeping in Touch," we know that a number of you use Yahoo as your email service; so this information may be useful to you.

Yahoo And Spam

Yahoo has had some financial problems lately, and many of their services are no longer free. In addition, they are going to start making the list of their users available to commercial customers to barrage you with unwanted emails (spam). Meaning, if you're using Yahoo, your "offers" are going to increase astronomically.

Here's a paragraph from an email from a Yahoo email user: "It's unfortunate that a company as big and well known as Yahoo didn't find the time nor make the effort to contact its members to let them know they had sold them out. It's despicable!"

This simply isn't so. If you're a Yahoo user, here's what you need to do:
Go to: http://www.groups.yahoo.com
A) Click on Account Info in the upper right hand corner.
B) After logging in, get to your Account Information screen, go down to the "Members Information" section.
C) Click on "Edit your marketing preferences." You'll notice that you're probably signed up for Everything. Click on the 16 "no" buttons down the page.
D) Scroll to the bottom of the page to "Other Deliveries" and click on the last two no's. Then click on "Save Changes".

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6.) Your Subscription Details

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