AnnieR Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 Today in our church bulletin was this notice: "Need help getting your Stimulus Rebate Check?? Call Liberty Income Tax Service and get FREE help. Ask for --- or --- and they will gladly help you. There is no fee for this service. You will need to provide your name, address, phone number, social security number and income from last year or a good estimate. This can be done over the phone. This information will be kept confidential and given only to the IRS under Form 8879. You will then be eligible to receive your rebate check." AnnieR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cathy Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 Today in our church bulletin was this notice: "Need help getting your Stimulus Rebate Check?? Call Liberty Income Tax Service and get FREE help. Ask for --- or --- and they will gladly help you. There is no fee for this service. You will need to provide your name, address, phone number, social security number and income from last year or a good estimate. This can be done over the phone. This information will be kept confidential and given only to the IRS under Form 8879. You will then be eligible to receive your rebate check." AnnieR Gosh, I didn't know you could do this either! IRS doesn't even know you can do it...maybe someone needs to let them know! :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jainen Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 >>IRS doesn't even know you can do it<< Do what? Prepare an easy tax return without charge? Start an interview with estimates? Protect client confidentiality? E-file? Or maybe you just don't want your competition buying ads in your bulletin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieR Posted March 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 >>IRS doesn't even know you can do it<< Do what? Prepare an easy tax return without charge? Start an interview with estimates? Protect client confidentiality? E-file? Or maybe you just don't want your competition buying ads in your bulletin? No, to file an easy return entirely by phone! There is no Liberty Tax Service in our local area. And no, it wasn't an ad in our bulletin. I do "easy" returns like that for no fee for clients who no longer have to file returns and so do the 9 or 10 preparers, EAs, CPAs in our church. Nothing was said about buying an ad, which by the way, Liberty doesn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jainen Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 >>it wasn't an ad in our bulletin<< About 80% of my private clients contact me only by phone with fax or mail followup, since they are in a different city where I used to work. I assumed the "notice" was an ad because it had a distinctly commercial ring to it, though it used a loss leader to get the message out. Complain to your board about the implied church endorsement, because THAT is something the IRS doesn't allow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnH Posted March 16, 2008 Report Share Posted March 16, 2008 Maybe the church should run a clarification in the next bulletin giving the names & phone numbers of all preparers who wish to have their names listed as being willing to prepare the stimulus return for free. I'm betting the person who approved it just thought they were doing the seniors a favor and didn't pick up on the negative push-back it could create. After all, anything that would help the seniors and cost them nothing woiuld seem like a good thing on the surface. It was a terrible decision to run it in the first place, especially as worded, but since they can't unring the bell the church administration should try to set things right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanmcq Posted March 17, 2008 Report Share Posted March 17, 2008 What my first thought from that ad was identity theft. Give my name, address, SSN, and income over the phone to someone? I don't think so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byron Posted March 17, 2008 Report Share Posted March 17, 2008 Whoever put that in the bulletin may have helped con artists to steal elderly member's identities. It would be interesting to see if the phone number actually rings at a real Liberty Tax office -- if it does, then they just exercised poor judgement rather than extremely poor judgement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lydia33 Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Where does the signing of the 8879 come in to play? Do they fax this information back and forth or what? I'm I missing something here? I do this for my old tax clients, but they have to come in and sign the 8879 to give me permission to efile the form. Right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelgilb Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Where does the signing of the 8879 come in to play? Do they fax this information back and forth or what? I'm I missing something here? I do this for my old tax clients, but they have to come in and sign the 8879 to give me permission to efile the form. Right? Good question. What are the rules as far as getting a signed 8879 for our files. I always thought it was enough to get a fax or email copy back of the 8879. Most of my clients come in the 1st or 2nd year and then mail, fax or email me their stuff after that. Anyone have any thoughts in this electronic age? Joel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcjenkins Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 A faxed copy is acceptable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cientax Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Whoever put that in the bulletin may have helped con artists to steal elderly member's identities. It would be interesting to see if the phone number actually rings at a real Liberty Tax office -- if it does, then they just exercised poor judgement rather than extremely poor judgement. Google the phone number on internet and see if it comes up as Liberty Tax Service. Bet my two cents it don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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