Tax season officially opens today, so you can expect the scammers to step-up their game. A lot of these interactions contain dead giveaways, but the slimeballs are getting more sophisticated...and it's obviously "working" given the growth of this problem. You can protect yourself by being aware that the IRS will never:
Scammers have been gaining the upper hand in bilking an increasing number of seniors out of their hard-earned life savings. Tobie Stanger of Consumer Reports shares several sad, real-life stories and some ideas on how to fight this:
Financial Self-Defense for Seniors is a fantastic resource, listing 10 "Red Flags" to watch out for in protecting oneself from financial abuse. The book was written for older Americans and their loved ones and the CFP Board has made it available for you to personally download (pdf 2MB): Financial Self-Defense for Seniors