Taxes, The IRS and Identity Theft

I just did a story about a woman who learned she was a victim of Identity theft from the Tax Man. Someone filed a bogus return using her name and social security. Then they stole her refund!

Making matters worse, she is not getting any help from the IRS. I can now see why. When we called the IRS Public Information Officer he told us, “I can’t speak about any specific case and we can’t go on camera to talk about Identity Theft, that’s our policy.”

So the IRS has a policy to bury it’s head in the sand like an ostrich and pretend ID theft is not a problem. One year ago, another IRS agent told me Tax ID theft is becoming a huge problem.

I thought the IRS would be good to have on camera to talk to us about what people can do if they find out they are a victim. That didn’t happen.

Here is my problem with the IRS not talking to us… Most of us pay our taxes every year. Thousands of dollars are deducted from our paychecks going straight to the IRS. Those agents are being paid with our hard earned money. In essence the people of these United States ARE their bosses.

The media serves as the eyes and ears of the people. Talking to us is the same as talking to you. Don’t government agencies owe it to the people to be upfront about problems (and crimes) that affect everyday citizens? I think they do!

By not talking to the media, the IRS does a huge injustice to the thousands of people who WILL fall victim to Tax ID Theft this year. I wonder if they really care.

After this post I’ll probably be audited!

The Old Restaurant Inspection Story

Yes it’s true NBC5 aired another Restaurant Inspection Investigation. The reason… viewers love these stories and the ratings prove it. One day after our story aired viewers approached me asking why NBC5 continues to air this now infamous “sweeps” story.

There is an old saying in the news business, “there are no new stories only new ways to do old stories.” The fact is; we all eat out and we all want our favorite restaurant to be clean. Many people say they don’t want to know what goes on behind that kitchen door, but judging by the amount of people who watched our story, many people do. Inspection scores constantly change which is why TV Stations continue to report on this story. It serves as a great way to hold restaurants accountable to their customers.

I also tried to add in important information about food poisoning. An illness that kills 5000 people each year in America. Countless, and I really mean COUNTLESS, others will become ill after eating out. Though most people never report their illness, chalking it up to: just another random “bad piece of fish.” More likely say all the experts, that stomach ache was caused by a restaurant employee who failed to wash his hands. (Gross, I know.)

Just maybe, if we keep on the restaurants they may to try to keep clean fearing if they don’t… they could end up on the 10PM News.

Here is my investigation:
www.nbc5i.com/video/11246275/index.html
www.nbc5i.com/video/11246275/index.html

TXU SOLD, Means lots of Promises!

So the big question is what does this all mean for the consumer. The new owners vow cheaper prices and less pollution. Only time will tell if they can deliver.

Its clear Texans want cheaper electricity. If the new owners don’t deliver on their promises some consumers I spoke with vowed to revolt. Just imagine if everyone swithced to another provider if those cheaper rates don’t appear on the bill.