from the Retiree Activities Office

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1 January, 2016 (478) or (478) Building 767 Open Tue-Wed-Thur from the Retiree Activities Office Happy New Year to all our Military Retirees. May 2016 bring much joy, happiness and success to you and your families. Well, I am back at it and I want to ask again if there are any of you folks out there that would be interested in working in the Retiree Activities Office? It is not a lot of time but only 1-2 days a week for a couple of hours. We are also part of the team responsible for putting on the Retiree Appreciation Day every fall. If you would be interested in helping out your fellow military retirees please give me a call at either of the numbers or the address above. We have a great grop of folks on the team and we get absolutely fabulous support from the Base. Interested? Give me a call! from the Legal Office The legal office will have new legal assistance hours starting in 2016! Hopefully with these new hours, we will be able to serve our Active duty and retiree community in a more efficient way. The new hours for Legal Assistance will be Tuesdays from 1-4:30 pm and Thursdays from 9 am to 1130 am by appointment only. If the appointments fill up too fast, we will also take appointments on Wednesday afternoons between 1 pm and 4 pm. Additionally, we will provide notaries and power of attorneys Monday through Thursday between the hours of 9-12 pm and 1-4 pm and on Fridays from 1 to 4 pm. Hopefully by February 2016, we will have coverage between noon and 1 pm as well. Remember the 22 Suicide Warning Signs The following signs may mean someone is at risk for suicide. The risk of suicide is greater if a behavior is new or has increased and if it seems related to a painful event, loss, or change. If you or someone you know exhibits any of these signs, seek help as soon as possible by calling the Lifeline at TALK <tel: > (8255). Talking about wanting to die or to kill themselves. Looking for a way to kill themselves, such as searching online or buying a gun Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live. Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain. Talking about being a burden to others. Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs. Acting anxious or agitated; behaving recklessly. Sleeping too little or too much. Withdrawing or isolating themselves. Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge. 1

2 Displaying extreme mood swings. from Internal Revenue Service Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft We know identity theft is a frustrating process for victims. We are committed to working with you to resolve your case as quickly as possible. What is tax-related identity theft? Tax-related identity theft occurs when someone uses your stolen Social Security number to file a tax return claiming a fraudulent refund. Generally, an identity thief will use your SSN to file a false return early in the year. You may be unaware you are a victim until you try to file your taxes and learn one already has been filed using your SSN. Know the warning signs! Be alert to possible identity theft if you receive an IRS notice or letter that states that: More than one tax return was filed using your SSN; You owe additional tax, refund offset or have had collection actions taken against you for a year you did not file a tax return; IRS records indicate you received wages from an employer unknown to you. Steps to take if you become a victim: Report identity theft at and learn how to respond to it at Contact one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your credit records: o Equifax, o Experian, o TransUnion, Contact your financial institutions, and close any accounts opened without your permission or tampered with. If your SSN is compromised and you know or suspect you are a victim of tax-related identity theft, take these additional steps: Respond immediately to any IRS notice; call the number provided Complete IRS Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit. Use a fillable form at IRS.gov, print, then mail or fax according to instructions. Continue to pay your taxes and file your tax return, even if you must do so by paper. If you previously contacted the IRS and did not have a resolution, contact the Identity Protection Specialized Unit at They have teams available to assist. How to reduce your risk Don t routinely carry your Social Security card or any document with your SSN on it. Don t give a business your SSN just because they ask only when absolutely necessary. Protect your personal financial information at home and on your computer.

3 Check your credit report annually. Check your Social Security Administration earnings statement annually. Protect your personal computers by using firewalls, anti-spam/virus software, update security patches and change passwords for Internet accounts. Don t give personal information over the phone, through the mail or the Internet unless you have either initiated the contact or are sure you know who is asking. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by to request personal or financial information. This includes any type of electronic communication, such as text messages and social media channels. Report suspicious online or ed phishing scams to:phishing@irs.gov. For phishing scams by phone, fax or mail, call: Report IRS impersonation scams to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration s IRS Impersonation Scams Reporting at If your SSN has been compromised, take these steps: File an FTC complaint < OrgCode=IRS> Contact one of the three credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your account: Close any financial accounts opened without your permission. Respond immediately to any IRS notice, according to instructions. Complete IRS Form < Identity Theft Affidavit. Continue to file your tax return, even if by paper. Other Resources o IRS Identity Protection home o FTC Identity Theft home IRS Publication Identity Theft Information for Taxpayers

4 from DFAS mypay Password Rules The FBI reports that Internet crime continues to rise. Today s lifestyles means more of us are online to keep in touch with friends and family, purchase retail goods and manage our financial, medical and personal business. Access to your mypay account is protected by your login credentials (login name and password) and your online habits. mypay is protected by state-of-the-art security and round-the-clock monitoring. But security of your account depends on you! The current mypay password requirements DoD security rules. Your password must:: be 9 to 30 characters in length Contain at least one UPPERCASE letter Contain at least one lowercase letter Contain at least one number (0-9) NOT include any spaces Contain at least one of the following special characters: o # (pound or number sign) (at sign) o $ (dollar sign) o = (equal sign) o + (plus sign) o % (percent sign) o ^ (caret) o! (exclamation) o * (asterisk) o _ (underline/underscore) Your password expires every 150 days. You will receive an about 10 days before your password expires to make sure you know to update your password and avoid any delays when you need to access your account. Make sure the address listed in your profile is current and complete the security questions that help confirm your identity so you can update online. KEEP IT SAFE! When you create your new password or update it in the future, its security depends on you. Whether you rely on your memory, writing down passwords on paper or creating a computer file, it s vital that your passwords are never exposed to others. If you must write down your password on a piece of paper, make sure it stays locked up in a secure place. If you save it to your computer, flash drive or other media device, make sure the document is encrypted and/or password protected.

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