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PAGE 6A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 19. 2015
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Between the Bookends By Emma Ingle, Pickens Co. Librarian
Rick Byrd’s display of Historic Newspapers and Maga
zines.
Historic
Newspapers and
Magazine Display
This month’s display features
historic newspapers and maga
zines on loan from Mr. Ricky
Byrd. Mr. Byrd has always had a
passion for history. He started his
collection in June 2014 after see
ing old newspapers for sale in
antique stores. “Understanding
where we have been as a society
is important,” he said. “Seeking
out old newspapers, books and
magazines is a fun way to ex
plore our past.” This display in
cludes an issue of LIFE
magazine from 1934, as well as
a 1945 issue of The Atlanta Con
stitution.
Free AARP Tax-
Aide Schedule
Thursdays at the Pickens
County Library from 9:30 a.m.-
1:30 p.m., certified AARP Tax-
Aid volunteers will help prepare
federal tax returns to taxpayers
with low and moderate income,
with special attention to those 60
and over. For more information
please contact the Pickens
County Library at 706-692-5411.
Scheduled dates are February 19
and 26.
eBook Help
Do you need help using the li
brary’s eBook and downloadable
audiobook collection for your
electronic device (Kindle, tablet,
smartphone, etc)? Sign-up for a
30-minute personal help session
with a library staff member for
Monday, February 23, from 2-4
p.m. Before attending, please
make sure that your library card
is up-to-date and that you have a
library PIN number. Registration
is required and began February
9. For more information please
contact the Pickens County Li
brary at 706-692-5411.
READing Paws
with Abby
Abby, the library’s Reading
Paws dog, helps children gain
confidence as she listens pa
tiently while children read to her.
If you would like for your child
to have this experience, all that
you need to do is sign up for
Monday, February 23, for a visit
with Abby at 3:30 p.m. Abby is a
friendly, furry and non-judgmen-
tal listener who loves to have
children read their favorite book
to her. A session is 10-15 minutes
for ages 6 and up. Registration
for this visit with Abby has
begun. For more information
please contact the Pickens
County Library at 706-692-5411.
Library Yarners
Come join the weekly cro
chet/knitting/yarn-enthusiast
meetings Tuesday, February 24,
at 10 a.m. and/or 5 p.m. The Li
brary Yarners is led by a former
library staff-member (you may
attend either or both meetings).
All fiber-artists are welcome (re
gardless of skill level)!
Frozen &
The Snow Queen
Some stories are worth melt
ing for. Tuesday, February 24, at
3:30 p.m., Frozen fans can come
thaw out in the library with
games and activities related to
the hit Disney movie and Hans
Christian Andersen’s The Snow
Queen, the fairy tale on which
the movie is based. This program
is for ages 5-10 years old. Reg
istration is required and opens
February 10. For more informa
tion or to register call 706-692-
5411.
Story Time
The youngest folks are invited
to join Miss Brooke for Lapsit
story time on Wednesday, Febru
ary 25, at 10:30 a.m. Lap-sit
Story Time is designed for chil
dren ages 1-3. Family Story
Time is also on Wednesday at 3.
The theme is B is Brilliant. Story
Time includes a craft project. All
ages are invited.
Be wary of thieves posing as IRS agents, tax preparers
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Tax season is the time to be
vigilant about identity theft, said
Laura Heilman, a security aware
ness training and education man
ager in UGA’s Enterprise
Information Technology Services
office.
Thieves can file fraudulent
tax returns with stolen identities.
The problem is so prevalent, In
tuit, the parent company of the
tax preparation software Turbo-
Tax, briefly halted processing e-
filing of state tax returns last
week amid concerns about fraud
ulent filings with stolen personal
information.
“When a criminal files your
taxes first, the burden of proving
that you are the legitimate tax
payer falls on you, and it can take
months, or even years, for you to
receive the return you are entitled
to receive,” she said.
According to the Federal
Trade Commission, tax identity
theft accounted for almost one-
third of the more than 300,000
identity theft complaints it re
ceived in 2014. Georgia is
among the top states in the nation
for cases of income tax identity
theft.
In a recent case in Georgia, a
single offender was charged with
stealing more than $5 million in
tax refunds. He did so by tricking
thousands taxpayers into provid
ing their personal information
and their Social Security num
bers.
Heilman warns that identity
thieves may pose as IRS agents
and tax preparers, setting up on
line advertisements and websites
to trick taxpayers into giving
away their Social Security num
ber or filing a fake tax return.
“They gather your informa
tion by digging through your
trash for discarded bills and fi
nancial information,” she said.
“They intercept your mail. They
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lurk on unsecured wireless
hotspots to intercept your elec
tronic tax return. They bribe em
ployees who have legitimate
business access to your personal
details. They prey on the elderly
and military service members.
They even steal Social Security
numbers from children and the
deceased.”
There are some signs legiti
mate taxpayers may be a victim
of identity theft, according to
Heilman. They include:
• receiving a letter from the
IRS stating that more than one
tax return has been filed under a
taxpayer’s name;
• receiving a notice or bill for
unpaid taxes on wages a taxpayer
did not earn;
• a listing by the IRS showing
employers where the taxpayer
did not work.
“If you think someone has
stolen your identity, file an IRS
Form 14039, Identity Theft Affi
davit, before you file your tax re
turn,” Heilman said. “It will flag
your account and make it harder
for an identity thief to steal your
tax refund. Spouses who file
jointly need only file a Form
14039 for the affected individ
ual.”
There are steps to avoid be
coming a victim of identity theft.
They include:
• not carrying a Social Secu
rity card or Individual Taxpayer
Identification Number. Like
wise, avoid providing a Social
Security number or Individual
Taxpayer Identification Number
whenever possible;
• protecting personal com
puters by keeping software and
antivirus programs up to date,
along with a firewall in place
for additional security;
• using a password to access
any computer or mobile device
that may contain personal finan
cial and medical information;
• keeping physical copies of
personal financial and medical
information secure, and shred
ding documents when no longer
needed;
• avoiding accessing or send
ing personal information when
using an unsecured Internet
connection;
• avoiding posting any per
sonal financial and medical in-
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formation online or in the cloud
unless you encrypt it;
• checking your credit reports
at least once a year to make sure
everything is accurate;
• filing your tax return as
early as possible.
“The IRS will not initiate
contact with you over the phone
or in an e-mail,” Heilman said.
“First contact from the IRS
comes in the mail. If you get a
letter from the IRS in your
physical mail you should re
spond at once. If you get an un
solicited email or a phone call
from the IRS it is highly likely
to be a scam.”
Those who receive a suspi
cious e-mail from the IRS,
should not reply to it or click on
any links or attachments in the
email, Heilman said. The suspi
cious email can be forwarded to
phishing@irs.gov
“If you receive a phone call
from a person claiming to be an
IRS agent, do not give them any
details about your finances or
personal information,” Heilman
said. “Write down details about
the caller, such as telephone
number, badge number and
name. Then, hang up and con
tact the IRS at 1-800-366-4484
to determine if the caller was an
IRS employee.”
The Office of Information
Security at UGA has more in
formation on identity theft and
phishing scams available at in-
fosec.uga.edu. The Office of In
formation Security is a part of the
university’s Enterprise Informa
tion Technology Services. For
more information see
eits.uga.edu
Please call Jim Barkley at 770-893-4570 for an
appointment. Office hours are by appointment.
Visit BarkleyFinancialGroup.com to download a tax
organizer and to read about the latest tax law changes.
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