HEALTH BRIEFS
Area gears up for Gulf Breeze Expo

Join local business owners and community representatives Saturday, March 15 for Gulf Breeze Expo 2008, sponsored by the Gulf Breeze Area Chamber of Commerce. The event is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the South Santa Rosa Recreation Center, located at 800 Shoreline Drive.

The event will include an outdoor stage and live music by The Sawmill Band. Booths are still available.

For more information, call the chamber at 805-932-7888.

HHRP deadline approaches

This is an important notice to all Public Servants and Military Families of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.

Time and money are running out to be able to buy a brand new affordable home with the grant allotments through the HHRP Program.

The grant is forgivable. This is money that will not have to be paid back overtime. The HHRP Program was put in place in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties to help with hurricane relief after Hurricane Ivan.

Never before in the history of this area have any grants forgivable or non forgivable been offered of this magnitude to a first time home buyer.

Affordable Housing Solutions of Northwest Florida has most of the last of the HHRP dollars to provide with most of there brand new homes in both counties.

For more information on the Grant Benefits offered by Affordable Housing Solutions and Credit Consumer Counseling Services of Northwest Florida call 850- 433-4295. BBB warns of tax scams

As tax season gets underway, scammers are using phone calls and e-mails to steal personal and financial data from victims using the IRS name as a lure. Refunds, audits and the proposed legislation regarding rebates are all topics scammers use to entice victims to reveal information the scammers can then use to empty existing accounts or steal a person's identity.

One scam involves a phone call from someone claiming to be an IRS employee who tells the victim he is eligible for a sizable rebate for filing his taxes early. The caller then says he needs the victim's bank account number to process the direct deposit; if the target refuses, he is told he cannot receive the rebate. At this time, no legislation has been enacted to provide advance payments to taxpayers. Additionally, the IRS does not force taxpayers to use direct deposit and does not gather information by telephone.

Another phone scam also involves a caller claiming to be an IRS employee who is calling because the IRS sent a check to the individual who has not cashed the check. The scammer claims they need to verify the individual's bank account number. The IRS does not confirm whether a person has cashed a paper check and only asks for bank account information when taxpayers indicate on their tax return that they are choosing direct deposit.

An e-mail scam tells the recipient he is eligible for a tax refund and tells the victim to click on a link to access a refund claim form, which asks for personal and financial information. The IRS does not send unsolicited e-mail about tax matters. Moreover, filing a tax return is the only way to apply for a refund.

Because victims of identity theft often spend hundreds of hours trying to repair their credit after an identity thief uses their personal and financial data, it is best to take steps to deter identity thieves.

The IRS suggests typing the IRS.gov address into an Internet address window, rather than clicking on a link in an e-mail or opening an attachment.

Additionally, your Better Business Bureau (BBB) recommends never divulging personal information over the phone unless you initiated the call and know to whom you are speaking. For additional information and advice you can trust, start with bbb.org.

Chain Reaction seeks partnerships

A growing number of Chain Reaction teen volunteers in northern Escambia County, Perdido Key, and Gulf Breeze requires new non-profit partnerships in those areas. Interested 501 (c) 3 certified non-profit organizations should contact the center's executive director, Kristin Fairchild, at 850-202- 0691 or kfairchild@mychainreaction. org for more information. Proposed volunteer opportunities must be safe, teen-friendly, and serve a bigger purpose in the community.

Since 2004, Chain Reaction has worked to reshape teen culture in the Pensacola area by providing teen-friendly, fun, and safe volunteer opportunities at over 45 non-profit organizations. Over 600 area teens are volunteering through Chain Reaction, but as the group expands, so does the coverage area.