Hass Associates Accounting

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Hass and Associates Accounting: Fake buyout bid underscores lax system

A fake takeover bid for Avon was filed with the SEC, causing a stir in the market and a sharp rise in Avon's shares. At the same time, it highlights the possibility that the filing system used by Wall Street is not that secure after all. Thirty minutes before noon last Thursday, a regulatory filing appeared on the website of Securities and Exchange Commission detailing an offer from one PTG Capital Partners to buy Avon for USD 18.75 per share. The filing caused such a stir that within several minutes, news wire services have reported on...

Tips to avoid tax fraud

Reports say tax fraud victims have lost around US$15 million to cybercriminals since 2013. Fraudsters may come in many forms: - They can pretend to be an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent, who tricked their victims into paying thousands of dollars each through phone calls. Call recipients were threatened to pay up or get charged. - Some often used malware such as Trojan spyware, banking Trojans or remote access tools (RTAs) to gain access to potential victims’ computers or bank accounts. - And the brazen ones present themselves...

Hass and Associates Accounting: Cyanogen Ready to take on Google's Android

5:10 PM Cyanogen Ready to take on Google's Android, Hass and Associates Accounting 21 comments

The mobile OS-maker Cyanogen has just raised USD 80 million in its Series C funding round with backing from Twitter, Rupert Murdoch and Qualcomm, making its goal of taking Android from Google all the more possible. The people behind Cyanogen have consistently expressed their vision to make Android a more "open" ecosystem and OS. "We're committed to creating an open computing platform that fundamentally empowers the entire mobile ecosystem from developers to hardware makers, and most importantly, consumers around the world. We're excited to have...

Hass and Associates Accounting Hong Kong Tax News and Tips: 5 Tips to Avoid ID Theft and Refund Fraud During Tax Season

5:37 PM Hass and Associates Accounting Hong Kong Tax News and Tips 1 comment

Your Social Security Number could be the ticket for a fraudster seeking to claim a false tax refund or worse, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). A fraud expert offers some tips for preventing such crime – or at least catching it early. Bruce Dorris, J.D., CFE, CPA, CVA, is vice president and program director for the Austin, Texas-based Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). With nearly 75,000 members, the ACFE is the...

Tax Fraud: How Not To Become A Victim This Filing Season by Hass and Associates Accounting Hong Kong Tax News and Tips

3:41 PM Hass and Associates Accounting Hong Kong Tax News and Tips 1 comment

The Internal Revenue Service has issued a lot of warnings about tax-related fraud. It’s on the rise, and it can be a real pain if you’re a victim. If you haven’t filed yet, this is not the year to procrastinate. As I reported this week, the IRS said that threatening and aggressive phone calls by someone impersonating an IRS agent take the top spot in its annual list of “Dirty Dozen” tax scams. The Federal Trade Commission said it received 109,063 complaints last year about tax-identity theft. It received 54,690 complaints about IRS imposter scams,...

Hass and Associates Accounting Hong Kong Tax News and Tips: Keeping Online Tax Returns Safe From Thieves

3:11 AM Hass and Associates Accounting Hong Kong Tax News and Tips 2 comments

After several states suspended e-filing through the popular online tax preparer, TurboTax itself temporarily pulled the plug on its state tax return e-filing services last week due to security concerns. The company, owned by Intuit, which also owns QuickBooks, Mint, Quicken and a variety of other personal finance and small business accounting products, resumed all regular services the following day. (Disclosure: The author owns a small amount...