Nevada Free Taxes Coalition launches scam awareness campaign for senior citizens

The Senior Citizens' Advisory Board Meeting held on April 3, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada, focused on critical issues affecting the senior community, particularly scams targeting older adults. The meeting began with public comments from representatives of the Nevada Free Taxes Coalition, Paolo Sonataro and Daniel Rezetko. They highlighted the alarming rise in fraudulent tax preparation services and identity theft, emphasizing that nearly half of Americans have received fake IRS communications. This misinformation poses a significant risk to senior citizens, who are often unaware that the IRS does not initiate contact through emails or phone calls.

The coalition is currently running an awareness campaign aimed at educating seniors about these scams and providing free tax preparation services to low-income individuals and families. They are seeking support to expand their initiatives, particularly through AmeriCorps RSVP grants, which would allow them to allocate more resources to serve seniors and engage them as volunteers in their efforts.

Following the public comments, the board moved on to administrative matters, including the approval of the minutes from the previous meeting held on March 6, 2025. A motion was made and unanimously approved to accept the minutes without amendments.

The meeting underscored the importance of community engagement and support for vulnerable populations, particularly in combating fraud and enhancing the well-being of senior citizens. The board's next steps will likely involve further discussions on how to implement the coalition's recommendations and continue addressing the needs of the senior community.