SE Arizona News

The American Association of Retired Persons’ (AARP) Tax-Aide program comes Safford to help area senior citizens and individuals with low-to-moderate income levels to get their taxes completed and filed for the 2019 tax year, but the 60 Plus Association warns that there are red flags in the AARP Tax-Aide program, and that participants should take care.

The opportunities for tax preparation help were announced in a Feb. 6 post on Gila Valley Central’s website. In addition to Tax-Aide, there are a few other free filing services to choose from, including Free File Alliance, which offers a free filing program for qualified Arizona residents; the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program is another option for individuals who make less than $56,000 annually, or who qualify based on language barriers or other disability.  

The 60 Plus Association urges seniors to ensure that their data is safe from being sold or given to another organization or compromised in another way. James Martin, founder and chairman of American Association of Senior Citizens, said that they have heard concerns from volunteers who work in the Tax-Aide program.

“There are some very serious red flags regarding the AARP’s tax program, and America’s seniors should be extremely cautious when considering whether or not to participate,” Martin told Southeast Arizona News. “Volunteers within the program itself have raised significant data and privacy concerns and seniors should be aware of these issues as they make decisions regarding their tax filings."

According to the 60 Plus Association, AARP can easily gain access to sensitive information from each of the Tax-Aide program’s participants, which they could then sell to other organizations and advertisers. All this could occur without the tax prep client’s knowledge or consent, which presents security issues that people should be concerned about.