Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, March 7, 2010
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Latest Tax Scam Targets
Tips & Tricks: Change Name on Outlook Express or Windows Mail
Tips & Tricks: Getting Out of Trouble
This Week's Topic: Speed Up a Slow Computer – Disable Indexing Services
Websites of Interest: Companion Planting; Garage sales; The Oscars; The CIA World Factbook
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Special Feature: Latest Tax Scam Targets
The following article is from scambusters.org
It is that time of year again -- when we get serious with our tax returns and the con artists rethink their tax scam routines. With a record number of Americans expected to file their IRS returns online this year, authorities expect to see a corresponding rise in Internet- and email-based tax scam tricks. There's new concern too that the rise in the number of home-based businesses could spark a bout of phony tax schemes that fool people into making expense claims they're not entitled to.
For those who prefer a non-technical, offline approach, the IRS continues to warn taxpayers of the need for caution when selecting a tax preparer. We have 7 tips to help you make a wise decision.
But first, those online tax scams...
Bogus Websites and Emails
By one estimate, at least 5,000 phony websites, hosted in more than 50 countries, will be online this year, claiming to be part of or linked to the IRS.
Victims usually arrive there by clicking a link in an email, which, again, seems to come from the IRS or an associated group such as the Free File Alliance (a legitimate organization) or the IRS Antifraud Commission (a non-existent body).
Under the guise of the Free File Alliance, a real organization comprising tax software companies and the IRS, a bogus message directs users to file tax returns electronically via the site. The crooks do actually file the form -- but not before altering the bank account details, so they get the refunds!
In the case of the Antifraud Commission, the bogus message claims that someone has registered the recipient's credit card with the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) and that the card is being used to make payments. Following a link in the email takes victims to a phony web page where they are asked to provide their card details, Social Security number and other personal information. This identity theft / phishing ruse is a common approach in most of the online tax scams.
Other recent examples of IRS scams include messages that tell victims they have to complete an online updated version of their W-2 forms.
Action: The IRS never, but never, initiates correspondence with taxpayers by email and they never ask for your SSN or other financial details because they already have them on your form or on file.
If you are filing directly, rather than through tax software, the only free file site is via irs.gov -- and note that a tax site without that .gov extension is NOT the IRS.
And when it's all done, any email that tells you there's money waiting for you is an out and out tax refund scam, nothing less.
The Home-based Business Tax Scam
The huge shift towards home-working, whether through "telecommuting" as part of a regular job, or by setting up and running a home-based business, provides tax scam artists with another route to get at your pocket.
In this case, the crooks promote schemes via both websites and email. Their message is usually that they can help you claim or write off large chunks of your personal and living costs as legitimate business expenses. In some cases, these IRS scam tricksters sell kits that are supposed to point you towards these expense claims; in other cases, they simply suggest you inflate business expenses.
In yet other instances, tax preparers have been known to suggest clients simply invent a non-existent home business as a source for deduction.
Action: With the growth in this type of work, the IRS is casting a closer eye than ever on home business expenses. Their guidelines: expense claims must be "ordinary and necessary" in relation to legitimate business activity.
Tax software can often guide you through this but the bottom line is that if you're not sure about what you can claim, contact your tax preparer, and if that's not possible, the IRS. And if you're not in business, don't pretend you are!
Selecting Your Tax Preparer
Using a qualified, reputable tax preparer is often the least painful route to paying the least amount of taxes. On the other hand, using a bad one can cost you a lot of money and could even put in you in jail, since you are ultimately responsible for the information that goes on your tax form.
Here are 7 simple tips that will help you find and work successfully with a reputable tax preparer:
1. Check if they are "enrolled" tax preparers (which means they have taken an IRS exam) and/or qualified CPAs. Over the next three years, every tax preparer will have to be registered with the IRS, but not right now. So, find out just how qualified your preparer is.
2. Check out their credentials too with state licensing bodies (a few states, such as California and Oregon, actually have specific regulations for tax preparers). And ask them for verifiable references.
3. Establish who is actually going to do the work -- the preparer or an assistant down the line? Unqualified preparers often miss key deductions.
4. Ask if they would represent you in the event of an audit or other review. This may turn out to be important -- and will also give you an idea about how reputable and confident they are in their own abilities.
5. Get an upfront quotation on their fees. Usually they charge by the hour -- and also find out how many hours they expect to spend. Do not work with a preparer who offers to work for a percentage of your refund.
6. Monitor how much detail they ask for. If they do not want to see receipts or scrutinize income and expenditure, they are not doing their job.
7. Beware of scaremongers -- preparers who try to persuade you it is unsafe to take legitimate deductions -- and very aggressive preparers. You likely want a tax preparer who will take all the legitimate deductions available, but no more.
And remember, as we said above, you are ultimately responsible for what goes on your tax form. So check every line before you sign off on it.
Good luck with your 2009 tax preparations, follow our simple guidance, check out the irs.gov site -- and stay tax scam free!
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Tips & Tricks: Change Name on Outlook Express or Windows Mail
Question: When I send out an email, my name appears next to my email address for the recipient to see. It is misspelled and I do not know how to correct that. Can you tell me how?
Answer:
Here are the steps:
Click Tools on the menu and then Accounts. Click the Mail tab.
Click to select your email account in the list, then click the Properties button. The Properties window for your email account will open.
Under User Information, you can change your name in the Name: field. Click there, and edit text as you would anywhere.
If you have Windows Vista or Windows 7 and are using the Windows Mail program:
Open Windows Mail, Click on Tools and then Accounts in the menu.
Click to select your email account, and then click the Properties button.
In the email account properties window, click the General tab, and look for the Name section.
You can change your name in the Name section. Click there, and edit text as you would anywhere.
Click the OK button at the bottom of the dialog box to save your changes and close the window.
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Tips & Tricks: Getting Out of Trouble
Sometimes you might be just working along and something pops up on your screen. First, try to escape out of it. Press the Escape key (top left on keyboard) several times. If that doesn’t work, X-out of the window (click once on the small X button on the top right of the window that you want to close).
Is there a computer term or phrase that you'd like to see an explanation of? Email it to info@computerkindergarten.com and we'll put the term and its definition in an upcoming newsletter.
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Today's Topic: Speed Up a Slow Computer – Disable Indexing Services
As your Windows computer ages, its speed can decrease. You will notice an increase in response time when you give commands to open programs, files or folders, use the Internet and other tasks. There are several things you can do to speed up your computer.
In our ongoing series, Speed Up a Slow Computer, we will present articles discussing some of the steps you can take to speed up your slow computer.
Important: Before making any changes to your system, always create a Restore Point. If anything goes wrong with the changes you make, this will allow you to revert back to a point when the computer was operating correctly. Please visit our Newsletter Archives to read our article, All About Restore Points:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/040509.html
Disable Indexing Services
Indexing Services is a small program that uses a lot of memory and can significantly slow your computer down. This program lists and indexes all of the files that are on your computer. When you search for a file, the computer looks through the indexed list to find what you want. If you do not search for files very often, or even if you do search often, this system service is unnecessary and really does not speed up the search process all that much.
To disable Indexing Services, follow these steps:
Windows XP
Click Start
Open Control Panel
Open Add/Remove Programs
Click Add/Remove Window Components
Click to Uncheck Indexing services
Click Next and follow the prompts to complete.
Windows Vista / 7
Click Start
Open Control Panel
Open System and Maintenance
Open Administrative Tools
Open Services. If User Account Control asks for permission, click Continue.
In the name column, scroll down to Windows Search. Right click on Windows Search, and then click Properties on menu that appears.
The Windows Search Properties window will now appear. Look for the Startup type section. To the right of Automatic is a small down arrow. Click on it. Click Disabled.
Click the OK button and close all windows.
After the computer is restarted, Indexing Services will no longer be running. If you wish to enable this program in the future, follow the above steps to do so.
In our next edition, Optimize Display Settings
Please visit our Newsletter Archives for previous articles in our Speed Up a Slow Computer series:
Speed Up a Slow Computer - Clean the Desktop
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/040509.html
Speed Up a Slow Computer - Uninstall Unused Programs
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/041909.html
Speed Up a Slow Computer – Turn Off Auto Start Programs
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/042609.html
Speed Up a Slow Computer – Turn Off Auto Start Programs - MSCONFIG
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/050309.html
Speed Up a Slow Computer – Disable Unnecessary Windows Services
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/051009.html
Speed Up a Slow Computer – Defrag
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/051709.html
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Websites of Interest:
Companion Planting
This website will tell you which vegetables do well when planted together.
http://www.ext.nodak.edu/county/cass/horticulture/vegetables/companion.htm
Garage sales
This site lists yard sales across the nation. There are not too many listings yet, but the site is growing.
http://gsalr.com/
The Oscars
This is the official website
http://oscar.go.com/
The CIA World Factbook
Whatever you want to know about any country in the world, you can find it here.
www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html