Tax Related Scams: Receive an unexpected call or email from the “IRS”? Chances are, it’s a scam.
May 9, 2008

Over the past few years, many identity thefts and other frauds have been committed by scammers who contact consumers posing as the IRS. They gain access to consumers’ financial information in order to commit identify theft or simply drain a consumer’s bank account.

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May 9, 2008

A recent mailing produced by Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (“CALA”) touting itself as a citizens watchdog group poised to improve the legal climate in West Virginia has crossed the line. CALA, according to incorporation papers filed with the Secretary of State’s office, is a non-profit business group organized for a common business purpose. Registered as a 501(c)(6) corporation under the Internal Revenue Code, CALA is not required by law to reveal its donors. If consistent with the experience in other states, CALA’s main source of funding is in fact business interests which the Attorney General’s office is required to regulate. CALA’s misrepresentation of what it is should call into question its true motives and purpose. CALA has claimed the Attorney General represented three plaintiffs in a lawsuit and is keeping the money for his own use. In fact, the lawsuit was brought on behalf of all the citizens of West Virginia who have been affected by the addictive and abusive effects of OxyContin. The settlement proceeds were distributed according to the Court order, and a majority of the money has been used to fund day report centers across the State. Every dollar spent on a day report center saves the county in which it is located $7 in regional jail costs.