CONSUMER LAW
August Senior Financial Safety Tool Bulletin
Census, Auto Warranty, and IRS Scams: SFST Bulletin for March
The SFST Bulletin is a monthly electronic publication written for financial professionals. Our goal is to increase awareness of legal issues faced by older adults in our community related to financial exploitation by providing these informative materials to financial professionals. Each month the SFST Bulletin will focus on new and timely topics that affect consumer…
Read MoreSenior Financial Safety Tool
The Center for Elder Law & Justice has partnered with Lake Shore Savings Bank to utilize the Senior Financial Safety Tool (SFST). The SFST is a web-based application that screens older adults for common warning signs of financial exploitation. Our goal is to develop a detection and referral system so that we can work collaboratively…
Read MoreFilling In The Gaps – CELJ’s Senior Legal Advice Helpline Addresses Community’s Unique Needs
Have you ever heard a loved one say that they feel like they need an attorney to get through all of the forms involved in Medicare applications? That they have a question about a reverse mortgage, but don’t want to get charged $200 an hour for a simple answer? Or that they can’t get the…
Read MoreService by Facebook
Service of process is an essential part of our justice system. If one is the subject of a complaint or petition, in order for them to confront that allegation in court, service of process is required as an essential part of due process. While service of process is required for all kinds of litigation, it…
Read MoreResidential Security Deposits: Useful Tips to Help You Recover Your Deposit
Kevin Quinn, Staff Attorney Housing Unit Tenants often have difficulty recovering all or even a portion of the security deposit that they paid to their landlord at the beginning of their tenancy. The following are some useful tips we recommend using to insure that your transition out of your apartment is a smooth one. The…
Read MoreChanges to your Medicare Card to Protect Your Identity
The 2016 Federal Budget Includes funding to help protect Americans from identity theft. A new law is on the way which does not permit a Social Security Number to be printed on a Medicare card. (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/21/us/new-law-to-strip-social-security-numbers-from-medicare-cards.html?_r=1). Currently, most Medicare cards have a person’s Social Security Number (“SSN”) printed on the front. We are all told to…
Read MoreTax Refund Loans – Large Cost to Avoid a Short Wait
It’s that time of year again – tax season! Maybe you’ve filed and received your refund already. Maybe you are waiting until April 15 because you owe a check to Uncle Sam. Or maybe you know you’re getting a refund, but still need to open all those tax documents. For those anticipating a refund,…
Read MoreScam Alert: Telephone Calls from the “IRS”
We have received reports from several seniors in the Western New York area who have received calls from an individual fraudulently claiming to be an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) representative. The caller will typically say that money is owed for a tax obligation and/or that the IRS is filing a lawsuit against the person. They…
Read MoreDebt Collection Practices
Anyone who gets a letter from a debt collector should call an attorney for assistance. Certain income is protected from creditors, and federal and state laws protect debtors from deceptive or abusive debt collection practices.
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