| Volume 120 Number 10 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Look out for a new scam. The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you say you never received a summons for jury duty, he will ask you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo; your identity was just stolen. As I have said many times before, don’t give anyone you don’t know your social security number. Click here for more.
Coca-Cola’s Clever New Trick
Despite a growing distaste for carbonated drinks, Coca-Cola reported its latest earnings rose in the last three months of 2015. The clever trick the soda industry has adopted is shrinking package sizes in order to boost profit margins. Surprisingly, downsizing containers to supersize sales has proven to be an ingenious idea.
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Your Money
On January 15, the IRS announced the launch of Free File, available on its website at Do-Your-Federal-Taxes-for-Free. If you have basic knowledge of tax law and made less than $62,000 in 2015, you are eligible to use the IRS Free File program and may not need to pay for a tax professional. If you earned more than $62,000, you have the option of usingFree File Fillable Forms. John A. Koskinen, IRS Commissioner, said “You don’t have to be an expert on taxes. Free File software can help walk you through the steps and help you get it right.” For security purposes, the only way you should log onto the IRS Free File program is by first going to the IRS website:www.irs.gov then select Free File on the right side of the page. Following a link in an email from an unknown sender could lead to identity theft. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
No Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) violation when prior consent is given. Plaintiffs received medical care from Hospital. After plaintiffs did not pay their bills, accounts were transferred to Credit Adjustments, which called plaintiffs’ cell phone numbers, despite never having received their contact information directly from them. Credit Adjustments received the numbers from signed Patient Consent and Authorization forms covering “all medical and surgical care,” and stating “I understand Mount Carmel may use my health information for … billing and payment … I authorize Mt. Carmel to receive or release my health information, [to] agents or third parties as are necessary for these purposes and to companies who provide billing services.” Plaintiffs contend Credit Adjustments violated the TCPA, 47 U.S.C. 227(b)(1)(A)(iii), when it placed debt collection calls to their cell phone numbers using an “automatic telephone dialing system” and an “artificial or prerecorded voice.” The Sixth Circuit affirmed summary judgment, finding that plaintiffs gave their “prior express consent” to receive such calls. Baisden v. Credit Adjustments, Inc. Click here for more.