Just as we were closing our story on the grandparent scam for the September/October print issue, the police in the writer’s local community were circulating a warning from the Internal Revenue Service about telephone calls from fake IRS agents. Identifying themselves with phony names and badge numbers, the callers threaten “a slew of repercussions” (jail, deportation, revocation of business or driver’s licenses) if non-existent fines and penalties are not paid. CNN reports that callers had made off with $5 million by mid August. The kicker: Payment must be immediate, and the fake agent advises his victim to rush right out and buy a pre-loaded debit card, like the “Green Dot Money Pak,” or a wire transfer. —Shirley Streshinsky
Whining About Labels
You may have heard about unsafe levels of arsenic in wine. That’s not really the problem it’s been made out to be, but you should still know what you’re drinking when you pick out your next bottle.
