55 • TIMES, THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014 112th Precinct News: How To Avoid Phone & Email Scams their wallet stolen. The email looked like it came from their president. It asked people to send money to help them. It was later revealed to be a scam. • In another instance, someone got a call that a family member was on vacation in Mexico, got in trouble with the law and needed money. The person did not want to call their parents, so they called another relative asking for help. The caller had all the information and the correct names of relatives. Again, this was a revealed to be a scam. Con Edison scams • Individuals received a call from someone purportedly from Con Edison who claims that the individual owes money and that their electricity would be turned off immediately unless money is sent via a prepaid Green Dot debit card. • You may receive a call from Con Edison indicating that you will get a discount on your bill if you give your information over the phone. To Speed Up Recovery, Sandy Rebuild Team Shuffled disaster recovery; her priorities will also include matching low-income New Yorkers with rebuilding jobs. “Since Day One, my administration has prioritized the fast and efficient delivery of relief to affected families, and now we begin to see results,” said de Blasio. “Construction has started, the first checks are on the way, and we are making immediate policy and staff changes to further expedite and streamline the process—so that New Yorkers get the help they need now. I know that Bill Goldstein, Amy Peterson and Daniel Zarrilli have the experience to get families critical relief and ensure a stronger and more resilient New York.” de Blasio also announced the implementation of structural changes to streamline the Build It Back process and spur much-needed progress on reconstruction and reimbursements. Under the initiatives unveiled today, the city will: • reallocate $100 million previously appropriated for HUDCommunity Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to ensure every home destroyed by Hurricane Sandy is rebuilt, regardless of an applicant’s income or current program prioritization; • immediately boost HRO staff by 35 percent, to about 105 staff members, by transferring skilled personnel from other agencies into HRO; • accelerate the design process for home repairs and rebuilds by moving design consultation to immediately after an offer is given to a homeowner; • make it easier for homeowners who have received prior benefits to engage with Build It Back and fully understand their options; • homeowners will be able to fully proceed through the design process before needing to make transfer payments; • allow homeowners to set aside their transfer payments for temporary relocation expenses if they are displaced during construction; • eliminate permit and procedural bottlenecks that are slowing repairs and rebuilds; for example, clearing outstanding Buildings Department permits that have prevented some Sandy rebuilds and repairs from moving forward; and • publish an updated strategy with diagnostic and additional specific recommendations to improve Sandy recovery in two weeks, on Apr. 11. The improvements announced have already allowed the city to make meaningful strides in serving Build It Back clients. Since January, the administration has transformed Build It Back efforts to better serve applicants, and results include: completing more than 7,000 of nearly 10,000 completed damage assessments; increasing by six-fold the number of completed option review meetings (from approximately 500 to nearly 3,000), constituting more than $275 million of the $300 million in offers made; and completing calls to 5,000 unresponsive applicants to yield an additional 1,200 applicants interested in program re-entry. “We need to effectively coordinate our citywide efforts toward resiliency. It is vital for the city’s future that our infrastructure be able to meet the challenges of future severe weather events,” said Goldstein. “Helping these communities recover and rebuild is critical. We are working together to ensure that the process is streamlined and that the funds get out the door and into the communities that need them,” added Peterson. “New York City has seen the devastation caused by Sandy and recognized the threats posed by climate change,” said Zarrilli. “To address these threats and strengthen our neighborhoods, we are more committed than ever to building a stronger, more resilient New York.” “The first priority of the Sandy relief bill was to compensate storm victims for damage. Now, finally, the necessary steps are being taken for all who lost their houses,” Schumer said. “With the right people and right policies now in place, I believe this coming year will be a better one for those who are still struggling with the aftermath of the storm—we will see houses rebuilt and homeowners repaid. Today’s announcement is a down payment, and I look forward to this administration taking additional steps to ensure Sandy victims who went into their pockets to pay for repairs themselves will be quickly made whole.” “I’m proud to join Mayor de Blasio, Senator Schumer and my Council colleagues to announce critical improvements to streamline the city’s Build It Back program,” said City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “These enhancements will strengthen the city’s recovery efforts and ensure New Yorkers have the resources they need to rebuild their homes quickly. I thank Mayor de Blasio and Senator Schumer for their work and look forward to working with Bill Goldstein, Amy Peterson and Dan Zarrilli as we continue to support relief efforts for New Yorkers devastated by Sandy.” -CONTINUED FROM PG. 14- IRS scams The following information was posted on the Internal Revenue Service website: • The IRS has seen a recent increase in local phone scams across the country, with callers pretending to be from the IRS in hopes of stealing money or identities from victims. These phone scams include many variations, ranging from instances from where callers say the victims owe money or are entitled to a huge refund. Some calls can threaten arrest and threaten a driver’s license revocation. Sometimes these calls are paired with follow-up calls from people saying they are from the local police department or state motor vehicle department. Scammers tend to use fake names and IRS badge numbers. They generally use common names and surnames to identify themselves. They also “spoof” or imitate the IRS toll-free number on Caller ID to make it appear that the IRS is calling. Scammers may also send bogus IRS emails to some victims to support their bogus calls. How to avoid scammers Regarding the Green Dot Money Pak card scams, Inspector Klein noted part of the scam “is to have you buy the card, place money on the card and call back a specific telephone number that the scam artist gave you.” “They will ask you to give them the 14-digit serial number off the back of the Green Dot Money Pak card and, when you do, your money will be lost,” he added. “Criminals are very convincing in this enterprise, and I ask you to stop and call 911 before buying a card.” Klein added that “no government agency, utility company or law enforcement agency will ever contact you and ask for immediate payment using a Green Dot Money Pak card.” Regarding the Con Ed scam, the utility company stated on its website the callers “are not from Con Edison and Con Edison does not authorize -CONTINUED FROM PG. 13- payments of electric or gas bills by prepaid debit cards such as the Green Dot Money Pak.” “Be alert if anyone asks you by telephone to arrange for prepaid debit cards of any kind as payment for your bill, or to send money to an out-ofstate address,” the company warned. “Never arrange payment or divulge account of personal information, including debit or credit card information, over the telephone, unless you are certain you are speaking to a Con Edison representative.” Additionally, Con Edison will not call to offer a discount on a bill in exchange for personal information. Pol: Add Halal To School Menus said, ‘Many of our kids don’t get a hot lunch—and, in many cases, breakfast—unless they go to school,’” Espinal added. “I wholeheartedly agree with that statement, and it is why I believe that the public schools in our city should Say Maspeth Burglar Stole Fortune Team responded to the location to investigate the crime. Reportedly, two sets of fingerprints were found by police and lifted for further testing. The tests matched the fingerprints to Kowalczyk, who was previously arrested on unrelated crimes, law enforcement sources said. Subsequent to an investigation by the 104th Precinct Detective Squad, Kowalczyk was booked last Tuesday by P.O. Oleg Matat on charges of second-degree burglary and thirddegree grand larceny. According to court records, the suspect was arraigned last Wednesday, Mar. 26, in Queens Criminal Court before Judge Donna M. Golia, who ordered him held on $250,000 bail. Kowalczyk is scheduled to return to court on Apr. 21. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 10- Pols Blast Jack. Hts. Minstrel Show My Say who also happen to be a growing percentage of family breadwinners. • Nearly one-third of all single parents in America would see an increase in pay by raising the minimum wage. • Raising the minimum wage would help more than 15 million women in America. Last year, I stood with State Sen. Jose Peralta, Make the Road New York, and Queens businesses in Jackson Heights pushing for federal legislation to help millions of workers move from the working poor into the middle class with more money in their pockets being spent in our local economy. This week, the U.S. Senate is expected to finally vote on legislation raising the wage to $10.10 an hour over the next three years and indexing it to inflation moving forward to allow the rate to keep up with rising costs of living. The bill has broad support from business leaders—including the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce and the Main Street Alliance, and employers like Costco—because they know that strong wages lead to a stronger workforce, higher productivity, and a growing business. This common-sense measure is long overdue. Boosting wages would not only lift working poor families above the poverty line and onto stable ground, it can also drive economic activity, boost Queens businesses and strengthen local economies. Editor’s note: Gillibrand is the junior senator representing New York State. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 12- be doing everything in their power to provide lunch options that will allow our Muslim students to eat a proper dietary meal.” No date has been set for a hearing on the City Council resolution, but Espinal hoped a hearing and vote would happen as soon as possible. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 10- and acceptance.” “Racism and discrimination are not laughing matters,” added Ferreras. “Our communities are ones that value diversity, tolerance, and acceptance. Shame on Carlos Sanchez and Boulevard Restaurant for promoting this so-called comedy. I am appalled at the site of their promotional fliers, which they have littered throughout our streets in the plain sight of our children and families. There is no place for this type of humor in our great, accepting city. I stand united with the NAACP, Queens Pride, and Council Member Dromm in calling for a boycott of this show and this restaurant. We will not stand for this kind of behavior in our communities.” The boulevard has a laundry list of Department of Building violations ranging from construction to quality of life and public assembly violations. -CONTINUED FROM PG. 19- The scammer is trying to get your personal information. If you get this call, hang up. The IRS also advises individuals who get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS to hang up and call the IRS at 1-800-829- 1040. The IRS employees will verify if a payment issue exists. “If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to think that you owe any taxes,” the IRS added, “then call and report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800-366-4484.” Editor’s note: Heidi Harrison Chain is president of the 112th Precinct Community Council. Learn The History Of Our Neighborhood! VISIT OUR ARCHIVES ONLINE AT www.timesnewsweekly.com
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