This article covers pre and early retirement years and offers a key window for tax strategies. I thought it was good information. Link here: Taxes during the transition to retirement | Fidelity
A box shows up on your porch. Your name, your address, no receipt, no sender. Inside: a seed packet, a cheap ring, one sad pasta strainer.
You didn’t order it. So who did? A scammer, and here’s the kicker: The package isn’t a scam. YOU are the product.
It’s called a brushing scam. Sketchy online sellers need glowing “verified purchase” reviews to climb the rankings. They buy your name and address (data breaches are the gift that keeps on giving), ship you something that costs them pennies, and boom, the system sees a real delivery to a real customer. Then they write a 5-star review of their junk product. Signed, basically, by you.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service says it plainly: It’s illegal, and if you’re getting these boxes, your personal information is compromised. Not “might be.” Is.
Lately these packages come with a little card: “Scan this QR code to see who sent your gift!” The FBI put out a formal alert about this one. That code can send you to a phishing site that harvests your card number, or it could push malware onto your phone. Curiosity is what they’re counting on.
The package is bait. The QR code is the hook. Don’t be the fish.
Got one? Do this.
Keep it, toss it or donate it. Guilt-free. Federal law says unordered merchandise is yours to keep as a free gift. You owe nobody a dime.
Do NOT scan any QR code or visit any website printed inside. And never pay a “shipping fee” to claim a mystery gift.
Change the password on your Amazon and shopping accounts, and turn on two-factor authentication while you’re in there. If a scammer has your address, assume they’ve shopped for more.
Check your accounts for reviews you didn’t write and orders you didn’t place. Report fakes to the retailer. Amazon has a dedicated brushing report page.
Watch your credit at all three bureaus, plus card statements for small test charges.
Report it to Amazon or the marketplace it came from, the postal inspectors at 1-877-876-2455 and ic3.gov if there was a QR code involved.
FYI, the fake reviews themselves are a federal offense. The FTC can fine sellers over $51,000 per phony review.
So if a mystery box shows up this weekend, you know the drill. Keep the strainer. Skip the QR code. Change your passwords.
Here’s what you need to know: That voicemail from your mom isn’t stored on your phone. It lives on your carrier’s server, and your carrier treats it like leftovers in the office fridge.
AT&T: Basic voicemail keeps messages 14 days. Visual voicemail, 30.
T-Mobile: 14 to 30 days, and once it’s deleted, their own support page says it “cannot be retrieved.”
Verizon: Doesn’t publish an exact number, but their FAQ flat out says they’re not liable for deleted messages, “even if you saved them.”
Consumer Cellular: Doesn’t publish a countdown. But their support is 100% U.S.-based, and they’ll walk you through saving a message step by step. Dial 611 from your phone, or call 1-888-345-5509. Do it before you need it, not after. Full disclosure: Consumer Cellular is a sponsor of my national radio show.*
I tested the steps below. Yours might be different, depending on your phone’s make, model and operating system.
iPhone: Open Phone > Voicemail. Tap the message, then tap the Share button (the box with the arrow). Choose Save to Files, or tap More, then pick iCloud Drive or Google Drive. Done. It’s now an audio file you own.
Android: Open the Phone app > Voicemail. Tap the message to expand it, hit the Share icon and save it to Google Drive. It exports as an MP3.
Samsung: In Visual Voicemail, click and hold the message you want to save, tap Archive. FYI, archiving removes it from the server, so move that file somewhere safe right away.
Old-school or landline voicemail: Play it on speaker and record it with another device. Nobody’s judging. The recording is the point.
Pro tip: If you’re ever closing a loved one’s account, save the voicemails before you call the carrier.
Did you know that if your home is in a Trust that your insurance should also be in the name of the trust for that property? Check with your insurance agent so this doesn't become an issue if you have a claim.
Simplify an iPhone: Don't struggle with all the tiny buttons and endless menus on your i-Phone. iPhone has a special mode with a basic home screen, bigger text and larger app icons. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Assistive Access to set it up. To exit this mode, triple-click the side button.
The good news and the catch
The FCC now requires carriers to route your 911 call by your phone’s actual location, not whatever tower it hit. Big carriers switched over in late 2024. Smaller ones came online this past May, but calls still fall back to a tower guessing when your phone can’t get a fast location fix.
When your phone can’t grab a fast fix (basements, concrete high-rises, rural valleys with no bars), your call still falls back to the old tower method. Millions a year still will. Your settings decide whether 911 sees you or a guess two towns over.
Lock it down
Phone makers love moving things around, so your taps may look a little different. Poke around. The setting’s in there.
· iPhone: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > System Services, turn on Emergency Calls & SOS. Then in Health, tap your photo > Medical ID and turn on Share During Emergency Call.
· Android: Settings > Safety & emergency > Emergency Location Service.
Use Wi-Fi calling? Your carrier keeps an emergency address on file. Moved since? 911 could get your OLD address.
· iPhone: Settings > Cellular > Wi-Fi Calling > Update Emergency Address.
· Samsung: Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi Calling > menu > Emergency address.
· Pixel: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > your carrier > Wi-Fi calling > Emergency address.
· On any other Android or if you can’t find the setting: Open your carrier’s app (Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, etc.), search “Wi-Fi calling emergency address” and update it there. Same fix, different door.
Send this to anyone who only carries a cell phone. It’s their lifeline to 911.
In the United States, ScamSafe is an AI-powered tool that analyzes suspicious emails, texts, or letters. Users can paste or upload messages, and the AI identifies red flags such as fake urgency, impersonation, suspicious links, and payment tricks. It provides a clear verdict and guidance on what to do next, without storing or sharing the messages. This version is particularly aimed at protecting seniors and families from fraud www.scamsafe.us.
The VA issued an alert June 10 warning veterans across the country about a wave of postcards promoting something called the “Veterans Savings Program.” No such program exists. The postcards reference real programs like CHAMPVA and TRICARE For Life to sound legitimate. They include a deadline, usually five days, to pressure you into calling fast before you think too hard about it.
Once you call, the scammer lays it on thick. Praise for your service. Gratitude. Warmth. All of it carefully designed to lower your guard before they ask for your Social Security number, your bank details, your VA file number or all three.
The VA does not send benefit updates by postcard. Ever.
Scammers don’t pick random names out of thin air. They buy lists.
Data brokers compile files on millions of Americans from public records, app data, loyalty programs and online activity. Those files include your name, home address, age, household members and in many cases whether you’re a veteran or receive government benefits. That information gets packaged and sold to anyone willing to pay, including scammers running exactly this kind of operation.
Your name on that postcard wasn’t a coincidence. Someone paid for it.
Throw the postcard away. Do not call any number listed on it. The VA will never reach out by postcard to notify you of new benefits.
Verify directly with the VA. If you have any questions about your benefits, call the VA’s official line at 1-800-827-1000 or visit VA.gov. Those are the only sources you should trust.
Report it. Call 1-800-827-1000 to report the scam to the VA. You can also file a complaint at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Every report helps investigators track these operations down.
Get your name off the list. This is important to know.
Before a scammer can send you a targeted postcard, they need your address, your phone number, your employment background and your medical conditions. They buy all this and more from data brokers for pennies.
They thanked you for your service. Then tried to rob you. That’s who these people are.
Send this to a veteran or military spouse you know. They need to see this.
At their November meeting, RECOM’s representatives on the Employee Benefits Task Force asked how COM’s Cigna plans would respond to denials of service under the WISeR program, which goes into effect in January. That plan involves new pre-certification requirements for Medicare patients in Arizona. The December issue of RECOM REPORTER listed many of the services involved and the review process. You may read that article on this website under News/Newsletters/December 2025 Newsletter.
Stephanie Drake, Assistant Employee Benefits Administrator, responded to RECOM’s questions. Here is her response:
We have confirmed with Cigna that most of the codes/services included in the WISeR program already require prior authorization through Cigna, but currently when Medicare is primary for these services, providers do not need to get pre-cert with Cigna to pay as secondary for those services. In 2026, if a service needs to be approved by Medicare under WISeR and the service is also a Cigna/City of Mesa covered service, then the provider and/or member must complete the WISeR pre-certification process for Medicare to approve and pay primary and Cigna will automatically coordinate benefits in secondary position (just like current). However, if WISeR denies Medicare coverage for otherwise potentially covered services under the City/Cigna retiree medical plans, then the provider would need to submit for pre-certification/authorization with Cigna and if Cigna approves, then they will adjudicate the claim in primary position (i.e., no Medicare involvement). If neither approves, then (there will be) no coverage for that set of codes and clinical requests under either Medicare or Cigna/City.
Watch out for this clever phishing scam that hooks you: Hackers are slipping the Japanese character “ん” (pronounced like a soft “n” and called a hiragana) into legitimate website URLs, replacing a normal slash “/.” To the naked eye, it looks normal, but click, and you’re headed straight to a malware buffet. This works because “ん” is part of Unicode, so browsers treat it as a valid web address character. Even pros can miss it at first glance. Bonus scam: fake “Intuit” emails where the “i” is swapped for a lowercase “L.” Your eyesight is the target, so always hover over links and check the real domain before you click.
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