Keeping Your SSNs and TINs Secure

In 2012, the Internal Revenue Service identified more than 1.8 million incidents of identity theft, and the numbers for 2013 are expected to be even higher as the IRS increased investigations of tax-related identity theft by 66%. The most common situation that occurs during tax season is that a thief will use a stolen Social Security Number of Tax Identification Number to file a fake tax return and then subsequently claim a refund on that return. Your Social Security Number is the most important piece of your personal information, and should be protected.

 

Identity thieves can steal your Social Security Number by stealing your wallet or purse, going through your mail, hacking into your accounts on websites, rummaging through your trash, and conducting scams, such as impersonating legitimate businesses to retrieve personal information from you. To avoid the theft of your Social Security Number or Tax Identification number, store all personal information in a locked safe in your home, shred all mail and correspondence that has your personal information on it rather than throwing it away, and do not ever give out personal information over the phone unless you are the one contacting the company. If you believe that someone has stolen your identity, contact the Internal Revenue Service through this link. If you have any questions about keeping your Social Security Number or Tax Identification Number secure, please contact us!

 

Sage Unveils Mobile Solutions

Sage North America has officially released three new mobile solutions that connect with select Sage ERP systems: Sage Mobile Sales, Sage Mobile Service, and Sage Billing and Payment. Sage Mobile Sales and Sage Mobile Services are available through iTunes and Sage Billing and Payment is a web application that works with popular browsers. All three of these applications are delivered through the new Sage Data Cloud.

·         Sage Mobile Sales: Sage Mobile Sales allows you to link quotes, orders, and payments from Sage ERP system to the mobile app on your device. Salespeople out in the field will be able to view and edit customer information, create quotes and email to customers, check product availability, and enter orders and accept immediate payment.

·         Sage Mobile Service: Sage Mobile Service allows field technicians to optimize schedules, routes and assignments, attain customer sign-offs and take photos of projects, and allows access to the customer’s Sage ERP information. This app allows you to provide estimates and receipts through email, so customer contact is quick and efficient.

·         Sage Billing and Payment: Sage Billing and Payment gives you a choice of providing electronic or paper copies of invoices, as well as allowing the receipt of electronic payments. Electronic invoices and receipts can be sent to customers based on the preferences you choose.

If you have any questions about the new Sage Mobile Solutions, please contact us!

518 Arbor Hill Rd.

 Kernersville, NC 27284

 Ph: 336-996-3338

 www.cpamcdaniel.com

 

‘Glitch’ Blamed for Davidson County Overcharging Property Tax Bills

Davidson County officials have announced that a glitch is to blame for some county residents being overcharged on their vehicle tag tax bill. A new tag and tax law was started in July 2013 in North Carolina that made it mandatory for vehicle owners to pay vehicle property taxes when they purchase or renew a license tag. The glitch occurred due to the new software, which pulls addresses from the state system. If the addresses do not match exactly, by default the highest municipal tax rate in the county will be assessed on the vehicle tax bill. Prior to the new law, the county was averaging about 10 errors per month out of approximately 13,000 monthly bills. But now the county is averaging 60 refund requests each month due to the glitch. This glitch only affects vehicle property tax bills. Davidson county residents are urged to look at their bills, and contact the Davidson County Tax Office at 336-242-2160 as soon as possible if they notice the wrong tax rate listed.

518 Arbor Hill Rd.

 Kernersville, NC 27284

 Ph: 336-996-3338

 www.cpamcdaniel.com

 

Obama Administration Announces Cybersecurity Guidelines

Earlier this month, the Obama administration released its ‘cybersecurity framework’, which is a best practices guide for banking, defense, utilities and other industries to help protect against attacks by hackers. The guidelines were developed after President Obama signed an executive order that called on the Commerce Department to create cybersecurity guidelines. The framework is built around five categories: identify, protect, detect, respond and recover. The Department of Homeland Security has announced that it will start a program to help companies with the implementation of this framework, and recommends companies to take all five categories into consideration when developing cybersecurity guidelines. Major tech groups are rallying behind the framework as it increases awareness of the importance of cybersecurity, especially for big companies that have recently suffered attacks from hackers.

 

518 Arbor Hill Rd.

 Kernersville, NC 27284

 Ph: 336-996-3338

 www.cpamcdaniel.com