Warning NEPA Seniors

IN THE NEWS

At WNEP-TV, our story on a company offering to get seniors property tax and rent rebates, was one of the more important warnings I’ve been a part of in three decades of television.  There are too many scams out there to mention, and we have to trust most viewers are smart enough to know they didn’t win a lottery they never entered, nor will they get help from a Nigerian Prince willing to share millions if they help him smuggle money out of the country.

But the mailer from a group called the “Seniors Advisory Council” needed to be told, even though this business is legal. 

Here’s how the sales pitch works.  Seniors are asked to pay $39 to the “council” for the group to fill out the form that gets them a rebate on their property tax or rent under a Pennsylvania tax break for those over 62.  Problem is, any social service agency, or state lawmaker’s office in the Keystone State can arrange for these people to get the form done FOR FREE !!!!

The group never responded to our requests for a comment.  Their 800-number apparently was off the hook.

The “council” might want you to believe they are like H&R Block who helps with income tax forms, and gets many taxpayers for a rebate, for a fee.

But here’s why people needed to be warned about the “Council.”

·        The name – “Senior Advisory Council” is a for profit business, yet it is designed to sound like a charity or a government agency.

·        The service – As I just mentioned, its free for anyone that goes to a social service agency.  Why pay $39?  In fact, the state has paid to train social workers to help seniors get these rebates that they are entitled to.

·        The letter – The “Counsel” claims it can get seniors a rebate of up to $975.  But the maximum refund in Pennsylvania is $650.  The “Council” has some explaining to do.

·        The address – I traced the address from the Seniors Advisory Council’s solicitation to a strip mall in a Harrisburg suburb.  It’s a mailbox drop between Liberty Income Tax and Wayne’s World Tanning Salon.  The real Seniors Advisory Council is in El Cajon, California.  But they are trying to make you believe they are your neighbors in the state capital, perhaps a state agency.

So why would you do business with these people?  Exactly.  If you live in Pennsylvania, and are a senior or you know one, please make sure your loved ones do not respond to this professional looking letter.   Sometimes warning the public about a legal product, is better than warning people about a scam.  This week, Action 16 Investigates hopefully saved Northeastern Pennsylvania seniors thousands…$39 at a time.

Here is the link to our story.

SPORTS

I will keep it brief, but I always love upsets in College Football, and the best this year was the defeat of Kansas by North Dakota State.  I generally like Kansas, but I love upsets more, and really dug the headline in the Kansas City Star newspaper, “The Night the Wheat Stood Still .”

SORT OF SPORTS

I ran in my eighth “Race for the Cure” 5k Saturday, my first in Scranton.   The race raises money and awareness of breast cancer and research, and always attracts thousands of runners and walkers. Had a great chat with US Senator Bob Casey (D) Pennsylvania about the dangers of bungee cords when moving furniture.  The Senator recently had stitches on his forehead from a bungee cord snapping from the top of his car when he brought his daughter to college.  Then the race.  Sometimes, you focus on getting a good time (mine was 30:02, pretty good considering the first half mile was a walk.)  This is not one of those 5k runs where you race.  I let my mind wander, and when I passed people with t-shirts in remembrance of those who died, or in praise of those who survived breast cancer, I thought of Dakota Doud and her father Mike. 

I met the two in 2007, when then-12-year-old Dakota became the youngest woman to compete in an LPGA tournament.  Dakota’s mother Kelly Jo had stage four breast cancer and did not have long to live.  LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam arranged to get a sponsor’s exemption for Dakota at the Ginn Open in Orlando so Kelly Jo could live long enough to play in a pro tournament.  12-year-old Dakota birdied the first hole, an unforgettable moment that that still brings tears to my eyes.  Kelly Jo died just a few months later. 

Kelly Jo and Dakota Doud

Today, I thought of Kelly Jo, with the hope that Dakota and Mike are hanging in there and moving forward.  I wondered who the Kelly Jos, Mikes, and Dakotas were in the minds of my fellow runners, and I felt a special bond with these runners that I never felt in other 5k’s.  I think my wandering mind was a plus because I ran the last mile in a shade over 7 minutes.  And I hope Mike and Dakota in Palm Harbor know that a lot of people are thinking about them, including this TV news reporter who was honored to meet them and tell their story years a few years ago.

Dave Bohman