TECHNOLOGY TIMES
WHAT'S NEW
MAKE TAX SEASON LESS MISERABLE
This monthly publication is provided courtesy of John Smith, President of IT Company.
Chappell, President of
OUR MISSION:
To build a community of successminded entrepreneurs that inspires excellence, encourages collaboration and expands the capacity of all members to achieve great things.
“As a business owner, you don’t have time to waste on technical and operational issues. That’s where we shine! Call us and put an end to your IT problems finally and forever!” -Dewayne Chappell
Ah,February–loveisintheairand Cupidmayjusthavehisarrowpointed towardyouandaspecialsomeone.But Cupidhascompetition.It'salsotaxseason andscammersareoutlookingfortheir specialsomeone(s),too.Asiftaxesweren’t horribleenoughontheirown,criminals aredevisingnewwaystotrickusintotax scams,withhorrificconsequences.
AccordingtoIRSdata,taxscamsspikein JanuaryandFebruaryandintensify throughApril.Lastyear,scammers targetednumerousbusinessownersby misrepresentingtheEmployeeRetention Credit(ERC),chargingheftyfeesfor assistancewithapplications–evenfora creditmanyvictimsdidn’tqualifyfor.So manybusinessownerswereattackedthat
theIRSsetupanERCwithdrawal programtohelpthosewhorealized theyhadunknowinglysubmitted fraudulentclaims.
Popular Tax-Time Scams
Taxscamsareparticularlytrickybecause nowell-meaningtaxpayerwantstomake amistakeandgetintroublewiththe government.Scammersand cybercriminalspreyonourfearof complianceissuesbyposingasIRSagents, taxsoftwareprovidersorevencolleagues infinancialdepartments,withurgent messagesdemandingpaymentorSocial Securitynumbers.
ItmaybeonlyFebruary,butthesescammers arelikelyalreadyinyourinbox.Takeafew minutestoreadaboutthesecommontax-time scamsandwhatyoucandotopreventthem.
Phishing And Smishing Scams
ScammerslovepretendingtobetheIRStoget yourpersonalinformation.They’llsendfakeemailsortextspromisingrefundsorthreatening legalaction,hopingyou’llclickontheirlinks orsharesensitivedetails.Thesescamsdon’tjust targetindividuals–theyoftengoaftertaxpros andbusinessesbecausethosecangiveaccessto loadsofvaluabledata.
How to prevent it: Neverclickonlinksor replytounexpectedmessagesclaimingtobe fromtheIRS.Ifsomethingfeelsoff,report suspiciouse-mailstophishing@irs.gov,and awaysverifymessagesdirectlywiththeIRS throughofficialchannels.
Online Account “Help”
Scammersaretargetingtaxpayersbyoffering helpsettingupanIRSonlineaccount.Their goalistostealyourpersonaltaxandfinancial
information,whichtheycanuseforidentity theft.Thesecriminalsmaypretendtobe “helpful”thirdparties,trickingyouinto handingoversensitivedetailslikeSocial SecuritynumbersorIDs,whichtheycanuseto filefaketaxreturnsandstealrefunds.
How to prevent it: Onlycreateyouronline accountdirectlythroughIRS.govandavoid anyunsolicitedoffersforthird-partyhelp.If someonereachesoutofferingtoassist,it’s probablyascam.
Fuel Tax Credit
TheIRSiswarningtaxpayersaboutpopular scamspushingFuelTaxCreditclaims,which areonlyavailableforoff-highwaybusinessor farminguse.Scammerswillmisleadyouby fabricatingdocumentsorreceiptsforfuelto makefalseclaims,oftenchargingheftyfeesin theprocess.Whilethesescammersprofit,you areleftwiththeriskoffacingIRSscrutinyand potentialpenalties.
How to prevent it: Ifyou’reconsidering claimingaFuelTaxCredit,makesure you’reeligible,asincorrectlyclaimingit couldleadtoseriousconsequenceslikefines orcriminalcharges.Alwaysconsulta qualifiedtaxprofessionaltoensureyourclaims arelegitimate.
You Know The Saying: If It Sounds Too Good To Be True, It Probably Is Manyofthesescamsareplasteredalloverthe Internet,oftenwithpromisesoftaxsavingsthat soundtoogoodtobetrueButtheoldsaying stillringstrue:Ifsomethingseemstoogood,it probablyisTheseschemesmightlook tempting,buttheycanlandyouinhotwater withtheIRSandleadtoseriouslegaltrouble Thisyear,maketaxseasonalittlelessmiserable bystickingtolegitimate,provenmethods.You canalsocheckouttheIRSDirtyDozenlist withdetailsonallthecommontaxscamsand tipsonhowtostaysafethistaxseason
You’lllearn:
ThethreemostcommonwaysITcompanieschargefortheir servicesandtheprosandconsofeachapproach
AcommonbillingmodelthatputsALLTHERISKonyou, thecustomer,whenbuyingITservices;you’lllearnwhatitis andwhyyouneedtoavoidagreeingtoit
Exclusions,hiddenfeesandother“gotcha”clausesITcompaniesputintheircontractsthat youDON’Twanttoagreeto
Howtomakesureyouknowexactlywhatyou’regettingtoavoiddisappointment, frustrationandaddedcostslateronthatyoudidn’tanticipate
Manybusinessownersdismissbuildingpersonal brandingasunnecessaryortime-consuming.Yet RoryVaden,co-founderofBrandBuilders Groupandauthorof Take The Stairs and Procrastinate On Purpose,arguesthatapersonal brandisessentialforearningtrustandgrowing yourbusiness.Hispracticalapproachmakes creatingapersonalbrandmuchsimplerthan youthink.
Credibility + Recognition = Your Personal Brand
Atitscore,apersonalbrandiswhatpeoplethink ofwhentheythinkofyou.Vadendefinesitas “thedigitizationofyourreputation.”According torecentstudies,74%ofAmericansaremore likelytotrustindividualswithapersonalbrand. Thistrustimpactsconsumeraction,with63% morelikelytobuyfromcompanieswhose leadershavepersonalbrands.
Sowhydosomanybusinessownersavoidit? Vadenexplainsthatbrandingisoftenlinkedto postingonsocialmediaorYouTube–activities thatseemannoyingorirrelevant.However,he emphasizesthatpersonalbrandingbuilds “celebrityauthority,”ablendofauthentic credibilityandrecognitionthatisnecessaryto convinceconsumerstoworkwithyou.
Why Most Personal Brands Fail
“Justbecauseit’ssimpledoesn’tmeanit’seasy,” saysVaden.Acommonmistakeistoimitate others’success,leadingtodilutedfocus.“When youhavedilutedfocus,yougetdilutedresults,” hesays.Instead,thekeyistohoneinonwhat makesyouunique.
How To Stand Out
“Findyouruniquenessandexploititinthe serviceofothers,”Vadenadvises.Startby answeringonecrucialquestioninoneword: What problem do you solve?
Forexample,after10yearsdedicatedto researchonshame,BrenéBrownnow“owns” theproblemofshameandisrecognizedasthe leadingauthorityonthetopic.Similarly,Dave Ramseybuiltanempirebyfocusingentirelyon solvingpersonaldebt.“Becomeanambassador oftheproblem,”Vadensays.“That’show thisworks.”
Todeeplyunderstandyouruniqueness,Vaden suggestsansweringeachofthefollowing questionsinoneword:
Whatproblemdoyousolve?
1 Whodoyousolvethatproblemfor?
2 Howdoyousolvethatproblem?
3. Whatonerevenuestreammattersmost? 4.
Ifyou’restrugglingtoanswerthosequestions, Vadenoffersthisshortcut: “You are most powerfully positioned to serve the person you once were.” Sharingyourjourneymakes yourmessageauthenticandrelatable.
Content That Converts
There’snopointincreatingapersonalbrand unlessithelpsyouconnectwithmorecustomers. Onceyou’reclearonyouruniqueness,Vaden says,it’stimetocreatecontentthatbuildstrust. Yourcontentshouldhelpcustomersto:
seeyou(understandwhatyoudo); 1 knowyou(understandwhoyouare); 2. learnfromyou(solvetheirproblems). 3
Focusonthe“ThreeE’s,”Vadensays,creating onlycontentthatentertains,encouragesand educates.Sharerelatablestories,inspireyour audienceandprovidepracticaladvice.Standing outisn’tsimplyaboutwhatyoudobutwhoyou are.Byfocusingonyouruniquevalueand creatingmeaningfulcontent,youcanbuilda personalbrandthatearnstrustandtransforms followersintoloyalcustomers.
AnkerWork Bluetooth Speaker And Phone Stand
Life demands a lot from u these days – work spills in dinner prep, exercise hap with kids underfoot and c interrupt, well, everything Yet tools like AnkerWork’ Bluetooth speaker and ph stand aim to simplify the chaos, keeping you connected, productive and handsfree when you need it Its AI-powered VoiceRadar 3.5 technology cuts through the chaos by filtering out up to 99% of background noise, making it great for noisy households or shared workspaces Whether you’re following a recipe or streaming a workout, the 70-degree adjustable magnetic phone stand lets you stay hands-free and focused Add 15W wireless charging to keep your devices powered and 360° rich sound for calls or music, and suddenly life feels a little easier to manage
SHINY
CYBERSIDE CHAT
Love isn’t the only thing in the air… Apple fixes AirPods’ Bluetooth eavesdropping problem.
In recent years, reported losses to romance scams have surged. How much money was reported lost to romance scams in 2023?
AflawwasfoundonAppleAirPodsthat allowedattackerstoconnecttoyourdevice andeveneavesdroponyourconversations. Applereleasedanewfirmwareupdatefor AirPodsandBeats,somakesureyourdevices areup-to-date!
Pay for new stuff with your old stuff!
A. $765.4 million
B. $1.14 billion
C. $33 8 million
D. $67 9 million
Answer:B AccordingtotheFTC,$114billionwaslostdueto romancescams,withmedianlossesof$2,000perperson–the highestreportedlossforanyformofimpostorscam
OneofthefoundersofPostmatesisbackwith anewpaymentservicecalledTiptopthatlets youpayforonlinepurchasesbytradingin somethingold.Soonyou’llbeabletoseethe servicealongsidePayPalandApplePaywhen youcheckoutonlineandyoucanuseitto tradeinanythingTV-sizedorbelow(sorry, nohusbands)tohelppayforsomethingnew.
Concerned your spouse is ignoring you? Use AirPods to test their hearing.
Millionsofpeoplearelivingwithhearingloss andhavenoidea,soApplehasdesigneda convenientwaytotestourhearing.Totake thetest,you’llneedaspecificmodelof
THE COST OF “FREE” BROWSING TRIVIA
Onlineinteractionsfuelcompanieslike Google,allowingthemtogatherdataonyour habitsandlocationfortargetedads.While these“free”servicesseemconvenient,they comeatthecostofyourpersonalinformation. Thistrade-offnotonlymakesadsfeelinvasive butalsoexposesyoutoriskslikeidentitytheft andscams.
To protect your online privacy, consider these steps:
1. Use Incognito Mode: Preventbrowsers fromsavinghistoryandcookies.
AirPods2(A2931,A2699,A2698,A3047, A3048,A3049)andaniOS-compatible iPhoneoriPad.Forfullinstructions,you cangotowww.apple.com/airpods-pro/ hearing-health.
Big nostalgia, tiny screen.
TinyTV2isanostalgicnovelty–afully functionalmini-TVcombiningretrocharm andmodernconvenience.ThisteensyTVhas a1.14-inchscreen,workingrotaryknobsand authenticstaticeffectswhenchanging channels,justlikethe’80sportableTVswe loved.Youcanevenuploadupto10hoursof yourownvideos,makingitaspracticalasitis delightfulwhenyou’recravingatinytrip downmemorylane.
2. Switch Search Engines: Privacy-focused optionslikeDuckDuckGoavoidtracking.
3. Add Privacy Extensions: Blocktrackers andsecureconnectionswithvettedtools.
4. Use a VPN: Encryptyourconnectionand hideyourIPaddressonpublicWiFi.
5. Clear Cookies: Limittrackingby managingordeletingcookiesregularly.
Withsimplemeasures,youcanminimize exposureandreclaimcontrolofyour digitalfootprint.