The Federal Trade Commission’s Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week was last week. Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal or financial information — like your Social Security or financial account number — to commit fraud.
Seniors are vulnerable to identity theft scams because they are often more trusting, have more savings and home equity built up, and are less likely to closely monitor their credit and financial accounts.
According to a 2018 study by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs’
Bureau of Justice Statistics, 27.9% of reported identity theft crimes were committed against the 50-65 age group, and 15.8% were committed against seniors, age 65 or older.
Tax-related identity theft occurs when someone uses your stolen personal information, including your Social Security number, to file a tax return claiming a fraudulent refund. Seniors are often slower to discover this type of crime and seek help. Like all forms of identity theft, this personal information is often gained through the loss of the victim’s personal documents—like a lost purse or wallet.
If you believe you are the victim of senior identity fraud, you can contact the FTC to open an identity theft case file. The FTC will provide an affidavit, which you can then take to your local police to file a report. Also, check your credit report for suspicious or unfamiliar activity, and alert the credit agencies that your identity has been stolen. While the fraud may have already occurred, these steps will help you reduce the damage.
Our Justice for Older Adults Project helps those ages 60 and older with their civil legal issues.
We can help with:
Protection orders
Divorces
Securing, challenging, limiting, or terminating guardianships
Instituting and revoking powers of attorney
Recovering assets
Restoration of public benefits
Creating trusts; evicting an abusive caregiver
Modifying and voiding legal instruments
Removal of social security representative payees for funds mismanagement and abuse of fiduciary duties
Identity theft and debt collection
Unlawful nursing home discharges
Deceptive and unfair business practices
TX Counties Served by Project:
Anderson, Angelina, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Houston, Jasper, Marion, Nacogdoches, Newton, Tyler, Panola, Rains, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood.
If you or someone you know needs legal help, you can apply at www.lonestarlegal.org or by calling 1-800-733-8394.
Lone Star Legal Aid is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy for low-income and underserved populations. Lone Star Legal Aid serves millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines that reside in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties of Southwest Arkansas. Lone Star Legal Aid focuses its resources on maintaining, enhancing, and protecting income and economic stability; preserving housing; improving outcomes for children; establishing and sustaining family safety and stability, health and well‐being; and assisting populations with special vulnerabilities, like those with disabilities, or who are elderly, homeless, or have limited English language skills. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at https://www.lonestarlegal.org.
Media contact: Media@LoneStarLegal.org
