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Broward Woman Sentenced for Identity Theft Scheme Involving U.S. Marine Victims
Posted on July 16th, 2012 No commentsWifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Jeffrey C. Mazanec, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office; and José A. Gonzalez, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Miami Field Office, announced that Dorothy Boulin, 29, was sentenced on July 12th to 70 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, in connection with an identity theft tax fraud scheme. Boulin pled guilty on April 19, 2012 to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
According to court documents, sometime prior to January 2012, the defendant received a list of military personnel (United States Marines) containing their names and Social Security numbers to be used for identity theft tax fraud purposes.
On January 17, 2012, the defendant, from a computer in her residence in Broward County, caused six fraudulent tax returns to be submitted online. Five of these returns were submitted without the authorization of the individuals whose Social Security numbers appear on the returns. These five returns sought approximately $21,301 in fraudulent refunds. Several of these victims were U.S. Marines.
On January 19, 2012, the defendant caused another eight fraudulent tax returns to be submitted online. Seven of these returns were submitted without the authorization of the individuals whose social security numbers appear on the returns. These seven returns sought approximately $32,627 in fraudulent refunds. Several of these victims were U.S. Marines.
Mr. Ferrer commended the FBI, IRS-CI, and the FBI Miami Area Corruption Task Force for their work on the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael N. Berger.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
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How long to keep financial records?
Posted on May 2nd, 2012 No commentsIf you’re anything like me, you want to shred bills and documents as soon as you send the check in the mail or pay online. You don’t want all that extra clutter hanging around. While that can be good for some items (junk mail, magazines, etc.) it doesn’t always work for financial documents. If you own a home, have a credit card, are self-employed, have a job, or all of the above, here is some information about how long to keep your financial records.
Let’s start with home ownership documents. These include closing statements (your HUD or RESPA, for example). You’ll want to save that information for at least six years after you purchase the home. This is important for selling the home (if you do during that time period) because it can affect how much you pay in capital gains tax. It’s also important to keep any receipts for home improvement projects. Some could be a tax write-off and others may also affect property taxes and capital gains tax.
If you use your credit card to purchase items that can be a tax deduction, you’ll want to keep your statements for a good seven years. Otherwise, you can shred the statement once your receipts match what is listed on the statement for the month.
In terms of tax paperwork, it’s important to know that the IRS has three years from your filing date to audit your return if it suspects good faith errors. They have up to six years to challenge a return if they suspect you underreported your gross income by 25% or more. So you’ll want to keep all your tax returns for at least six years. You have three years once you file if you find a mistake on it and file an amended return for a refund.
You can easily get rid of regular bills once you see the check against it has cleared. You will want to keep any receipts or bills for more expensive purchases, such as jewelry, computers, televisions, etc. This you’ll want to save for insurance purposes.
You can get rid of paycheck stubs once you compare it against the W-2 you receive for all your work the previous year. If everything matches up, toss the original stubs. If not, you’ll want to request a corrected form from your HR department.
If you have more specific questions about how long to keep certain financial records, your CPA is the best person to speak to, especially if it’s related to tax information.
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SHRED-A-THON! MAY 20, 2012
Posted on May 2nd, 2012 No comments -
Florida Business Says Go Green by Changing the Way You Manage Information
Posted on April 24th, 2012 No commentsKnow when to hold ’em, store ’em and throw ’em! MicroShred says it’s time for new “green” initiatives for managing your records. No matter the size or type of your business, chances are you have boxes full of files stored somewhere and most likely, those files are full of confidential information that will need to be disposed of. All too often those old files end up in our already packed landfills, which is bad for the environment and poses a security problem for your business.
To get a handle on your files in an eco-friendly manner, a shredding plan should be established. Having a workable records management plan that includes document shredding allows businesses to have better information at the right time for better business decisions.
When information is properly managed, businesses benefit from:
- Improved efficiency and productivity. Valuable time and resources will no longer be wasted to locate and retrieve paper files or recreate documents that have been misplaced or lost. More time can be spent on revenue generating tasks.
- Regulatory compliance. Shredding helps businesses comply with records management laws, like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act (FACTA). These laws require that certain paper waste including medical records, salary details or personal address details, must legally be disposed of. Such records must be kept up to date and shredded at the proper time.
- Safeguarding vital information. With online access to information you have the advantage of accessing any document, anywhere, at any time, with access limited to specific staff. Critical data will be safe from theft and disasters.
Establishing “green” records management policies will help improve efficiencies in your office as you help to keep our air clean, reduce paper use and preserve water resources.
CONTACT US TODAY TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR CONFIDENTIAL SHREDDING SERVICES
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New Testimonial from the Boca Raton Police Services Department’s Crime Prevention Unit
Posted on February 16th, 2012 No comments -
Free Document Shredding Event!!!
Posted on January 17th, 2012 No commentsBoca Raton Police and Microshred Corporation team up to help fight identity theft.
Boca Raton, FL – On Saturday, January 28, 2012, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the Boca Raton Police Department and Microshred Corporation are again teaming up to help prevent identity theft by hosting a free document shredding event. The event will be held at the Boca Raton Town Center Mall, 6000 W. Glades Road, in the NW corner of the parking lot near Sears.
By shredding and properly disposing of all your sensitive documents, you will be taking a key step toward protecting your identity. According to reports from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission, more than 15 million people reported having their identities either stolen or misused last year; and Florida had the highest per capita rate of reported identity thefts in the United States. The overall losses from identity theft last year were close to $37 billion.
Microshred Corporation will have document shredding trucks on-site and each participant will be given a Certificate of Destruction after all documents have been shredded. The event is open to all non-commercial participants. Officers from the Boca Raton Police Department Crime Prevention Unit, along with employees from Microshred Corporation, will be on-site to provide expert advice and tips to prevent identity theft.
For additional information contact Officer Craig Kolnick (Crime Prevention Unit) at 561-347-3934 or visit their website at www.BocaPolice.com.
View press release: http://www.ci.boca-raton.fl.us/police/TopStories/vipernews.shtm
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New Video: Shredding Event in Sunny Isles Beach
Posted on July 19th, 2011 No comments -
Mobile On-Site / Off-Site Document Shredding Company – Coral Springs, Florida
Posted on July 6th, 2011 No commentsMicroShred, LLC is a leader in providing mobile data shredding services in Coral Springs, FL. From small personal shredding services to large corporate document destruction services, we can come to you at your location, and confidentially destroy all personal / business information under your supervision. Our services include scheduled shredding, annual shredding, off-site document destruction, commercial non-paper shredding, medical record shredding, legal document destruction, and financial paper shredding. Demand for confidential shredding is at an all time high – fear of identity theft and new rules and regulations require businesses to properly dispose of sensitive information. The quickest and best way to maintain your secure identity would be to shred documents promptly and professionally. Protect yourself from risky business in Coral Springs!
Coral Springs, Florida Secure Shredding Services
Coral Springs On-Site Scheduled Route Service –
Daily, weekly, monthly, and semimonthly (or, biweekly) scheduled paper and commercial shredding services are available in South Florida. With this program, several sizes of stylish and office friendly data shred bins are provided at no charge to easily store, lock and secure all sensitive materials designated for shredding.Coral Springs Off-Site Data Shredding Service –
While our core business is mobile / on-site document destruction, we will provide off-site shredding services at no extra charge when a client requests it.Coral Springs Occasional Purge / Annual Shredding Service –
For those requiring annual, one-time or occasional data shredding services, we offer a specially priced purge program in the South Florida area.Coral Springs Excess or Rejected Inventory –
We can protect your South Florida company from possible theft by destroying inventory that is overstocked, damaged or outdated. Products such as uniforms, labels, CD’s, plastic ID cards, etc can be easily destroyed.Coral Springs Financial Data Destruction –
MicroShred can handle all your financial record shredding needs in the South Florida area. Utilizing truck-mounted powerful industrial shredders, we provide a secure, convenient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly method to dispose of highly confidential documents and other materials. Our mobile shredding units come to your South Florida location and shred all sensitive material at your location, under your supervision.Coral Springs Medical Record Shredder –
Did you know that medical records are one of the primary targets for identity thieves? Thieves can steal your identity to get health services or insurance under your name. And just like your credit history, it’s important to keep track of your medical records, shredding any copies of them the second you’re done.Coral Springs Legal Document Shredding –
It’s a well-established fact that attorneys who deal with their clients’ financial activities fall under the mandated provisions of the Financial Modernization Act of 1999 – better known as the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act, or GLB. If your practice menu includes real estate closings, financial planning, or estate planning – or if you represent a client in any other financial area – you fall under GLB guidelines. -
Confidential Shredding Special!!!
Posted on June 3rd, 2011 No comments -
Boca Raton Police Shred Event a Huge Success
Posted on May 12th, 2011 No commentsBoca Raton, FL – On Saturday April 23, 2011, the Boca Raton Police Services Department partnered with MicroShred Corporation for a free document shredding event to help prevent identity theft. In the end, more than eight tons of material was brought by residents to the massive shredder. Aside from protecting citizens against fraud, 25.2 cubic yards of potential waste was saved from a landfill, the equivalent of 142 trees.
From the Boca Raton Police Services Department:
Boca Raton Police and MicroShred team up in Boca Raton, FL – On Saturday April 23, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., the Boca Raton Police Services Department is partnering with MicroShred Corporation to host a free document shredding event to help prevent identity theft. The event will be held at the Town Center Mall, 6000 West Glades Road, in the northwest corner near Sears.
We encourage you to take a key step in identity protection by shredding and properly disposing all sensitive paper documents. “As identity theft continues to be a growing problem nationwide, it is more important than ever for individuals to properly destroy documents that contain personal information by methods such as shredding,” said Officer Kolnick of the Crime Prevention Unit.
Microshred will have document shredding trucks on site and each participant will be given a Certificate of Destruction after all their documents have been shredded. The event is open to all residents of Boca Raton, with a maximum of five bankers sized boxes per household allowed to be shredded.
Officers from the Boca Raton Police Services Department’s Crime Prevention Unit and MicroShred will be on site to provide expert advice and tips to prevent identity theft. For additional information please contact Officer Craig Kolnick at 561-347-3934 or visit our website at www.BocaPolice.com.
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