SnowbirdAlert Go to the doctor Get those pre-existing medical conditions under control and work with your doctor to make any necessary adjustments to your medication as soon as possible. Get followup tests and procedures scheduled so that you have a clear 90-day stability period before you head south in the fall. File your 8840 Form When you fulfil the requirements of the substantial presence test, you can be treated as a resident of the United States and be taxed by the IRS on your worldwide income. Declare your closer connection to Canada by completing the IRS 8840 Form and send it in. Update your Personal Health Record When you or your spouse are dealing with a medical emergency either away or at home, you don’t want to run around looking for prescriptionmedication bottles or be concerned with an accurate recollection of what year or instance in which either of you receivedmedical treatment. Write it down now, while you have time and presence of mind, and keep it in a handy spot – such as on your fridge – for quick and easy access, should the time ever come at which you need to answer medical questions quickly. Renew your CSA Membership Support the only organization that actively lobbies governments in Canada and the United States to protect and defend the snowbird lifestyle. Note: 8840 Form, Personal Health Records and CSA Membership renewal can all be accessed easily at www.snowbirds.org SPRINGTIME SNOWBIRD CHECKLIST 2021 Census Job Opportunities If you are interested in earning some money next April, you may be qualified to get a job as a census enumerator or crew leader. Statistics Canada will be hiring 32,000 people to collect census data in every community across the country. This is an excellent opportunity to earnmoney with flexible hours and to meet people in your community. They will begin to review applications in November 2020. If you would like to be notified when a new job is posted, send an e-mail to: statcan.census-recensement.statcan@canada.ca Five red flags for popular scams It seems that there’s always a new scam that we need to be worried about. By now, we’ve been exposed to so many that it’s easy to think we know the warning signs. But fraudsters are always finding new ways to outsmart victims. Here are some flags to watch out for: Social media friend requests. Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know. Does their profile look empty or have posts that are very generic? Do they seem to be promising more than friendship?These are some red flags that point to a scam. Delete the request. Check your privacy settings to ensure that your profile is protected. Spelling and grammar mistakes. Be wary of e-mails, messages or websites that contain misspelled common words, grammar errors that make it difficult to read or expressions that are used incorrectly. E-mail and web addresses should also be examined closely to see if there are subtle mistakes or differences. Money transfers. Many scams involve a request to wire money electronically using a money-transfer service. Remember that sending a transfer through these services is like sending cash − once the funds are picked up, it’s almost impossible to get your money back. The same goes for requesting payments to be made with virtual currencies or cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, or with gift or gaming cards, such as iTunes gift cards. Deal of a lifetime. Everybody loves a great sale. But shocking offers, unbelievable discounts and unreal rates may signal that the offer isn’t quite what it seems. Ridiculously low prices usually indicate cheap products or counterfeit goods. Free offers may require that you provide your credit card for shipping fees. Small tactics such as these can lead to big profits for scammers. Unknown callers. You might get a call from someone claiming that you have a virus on your computer, or that you owe taxes, or that there has been fraudulent activity in your bank accounts. Know that legitimate organizations will almost never call you directly. Don’t take any chances. Hang up and call the organization yourself using the number from a trustworthy source, such as the phone book, their website, or even invoices and account statements. Find more information at www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/fraud. www.newscanada.com 6 | www.snowbirds.org
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