Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1226877
F O U N D A T I O N Laying the groundwork for fi nancial success 6 | SPRING 2020 Spring Clean: Time to toss household items Spring means time to dust those blinds, clean under the couch and clean rugs. But it's also time to replace products you use every day. Here's when to toss common household items. — Tamekia Reece Toothbrush 3 to 4 months Pillow 1 to 2 years Mascara 3 months Kitchen sponge 2 to 4 weeks Water fi lter 2 months Air fi lter 1 to 2 months Social security scams Protect yourself from scams targeting your federal retirement funds There has been a recent uptick in scammers pre- tending to be government employees. These calls, texts or emails typically present a problem with your SSN or account and ask you to pay a fi ne or debt with nontraditional forms of payment such as gift cards, wire transfers or internet currency. They can also request mailing cash to take care of the fi ne. The scam can escalate quickly if you ask ques- tions or refute the statements, leading to threats of arrest or other legal action. While the social security offi ce may contact you for certain situations, federal employees will never threaten you, suspend your SSN or demand im- mediate payment. Furthermore, they would never request nontraditional payments, such as gift cards, prepaid debit cards or wire transfers. If you receive a suspicious call that requests personal fi nancial information. 1. Hang up. 2. Do not share personal information or give access to money. 3. Report the scam to oig.ssa.gov. Learn more at oig.ssa.gov/scam. — Staff repor t