THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, AugusT 5, 2022 Page 19 BUSINESS | FROM PAGE 18 lows the provided QR code and transfers the requested amount to the scammer’s digital wallet. Many victims lose thousands of dollars before they discover they are being scammed. Phishing scams. The design of QR codes makes it impossible for the user to know where the code will direct them after scanning, allowing scammers to send victims to phishing websites or downloads that will infect devices with malware. After scanning a code found in an email, text or flyer, some victims are directed to a website that requests personal information that can lead to identity theft, compromised passwords for online accounts or downloads that track the user’s activity on the device. Many phishing attempts begin with notification of “suspicious activity” on one of their online accounts and include a link or QR code for the user to verify their identity. In reality, the information provided is going to a scammer, which they then use for other purposes. Utility and government impostors. Many consumers report they are contacted by their utility company, the Social Security Administration or the IRS regarding an outstanding debt they must immediately pay in full. The representative claims that failure to pay the unpaid bill will result in either arrest, additional fines or shutting off access to electricity, gas or water. According to the impostor, the regular payment portal for these services is currently offline, but the victim can submit payment through another portal which, conveniently, they can access by following a link or scanning a QR code. The payment portal the victim is directed to often mimics the real portal down to the finest detail, providing a false sense of security that it is legitimate. False sense of security. Reports to BBB and additional screenshots, emails and texts detail how scammers include a legitimate QR code for the company or entity they are claiming to represent to give victims a false sense of security. These QR codes route to the official website for the organization, leading victims in receipt of these communications to more likely believe that the scammer is a legitimate representative. Other codes will direct the victim to an “employee profile” that includes official logos, badge numbers, professional headshots and additional information designed to ease any fears the victim might have. Once the scammer is confident that they have convinced their target, the likelihood that the victim will provide whatever information or money is requested drastically increases. How to avoid QR scams Confirm QR code before scanning. If you receive a QR code from a friend via text or a message on social media from a workmate, be sure to confirm with that person that they meant to send you the code to verify they have not been hacked. Keep in mind what you know about BUSINESS | SEE PAGE 23 CITY OF EVERETT - LEGAL NOTICE - Masshealth And Your Home R egardless of the value of your home, so long as your spouse is living in your home, it will not be considered a countable asset even if you were to go into a nursing home and qualify for MassHealth benefits. Furthermore, so long as your spouse is living in your home, MassHealth Estate Recovery will not be able to file a lien against it. If your home is held jointly, title should be transferred as quickly as possible to the healthy spouse who is still living home. If not, if the healthy spouse were to suddenly die first, title would vest 100% in the spouse who is living in the nursing home on MassHealth. The Estate Recovery Unit would then be able to recover against the equity in the home as the home would be part of the nursing home spouse’s probate estate. The transfer can be made either prior to or after admission into a nursing home. Transfers between spouses are never considered disqualifying transfers subject to the five-year look-back period. Once the transfer of the home takes place and the nursing home spouse is approved for MassHealth benefits, the spouse still living at home should consider, as one option, transferring the home to an irrevocable Trust in order to protect the equity in the home for the benefit of children. The five-year look-back period will commence once title has been transferred to the Trust. Although each family’s circumstances are different, and what might be good for one family might not be good for another, married couples and single individuals need to consider transferring the home to such an irrevocable Trust long before the need for a nursing home arises.One big advantage is the avoidance of probate. The home will pass to your intended beneficiaries pursuant to the terms of the Trust. The home can be sold at any time even after you place it into an irrevocable Trust. Since the Trust is structured as a grantor-type trust, the IRS Section 121 capital gain exclusion will still be retained. For a married couple, the capital gain exclusion on the sale of the home is $500,000. For a single person, the exclusion is $250,000. If rental property is placed into the Trust, the net rental income or loss is passed through onto the married couple’s or single person’s Form 1040. Consequently, the much higher ordinary income tax rates and capital gains tax rates associated with Trusts are avoided. Joseph D. Cataldo is an estate planning/elder law attorney, Certified Public Accountant, registered investment advisor, AICPA Personal Financial Specialist and holds a masters degree in taxation. ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS 484 BROADWAY ROOM 24 EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS 02149 To Whom It May Concern: This notice is to inform you that a public hearing will be held on Monday, August 15, 2022 at 6:00 PM, Everett City Hall, 3rd Floor George Keverian Hearing Room. All interested parties may attend and opinions will be heard regarding the following petition. Whereas a petition has been presented by: Property Address: 1911 Revere Beach Parkway Map/Lot: K0-02-000036 and K0-02-000057 Person Requesting: M & M Realty Trust LLC 55 South Main Street Topsfield, MA 01983 Owners Representative: Mr. David O’Neil Of Silverstien and O’Neil 391 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 PROPOSAL: To demolish the existing building and construct 5 story 60 feet in heigh with 141-unit residential building and a two-level parking garage with approximately 1500 square feet of retail space the property is located in the Business District Reason for Denial: The proposed 5 story building does not comply with the City of Everett Zoning Ordinance for setbacks Violation: • The building of Five (5) Stories is not permitted in the Business District. • The proposed building has a FAR of 3.67 to 1. • Parking must be approved through the TDM Zoning: Section 6 Business Districts b) Dimensional Requirements line 3 Height which states the following: a. Four (4) stories, not to exceed sixty-five (65) feet maximum, but not applicable to church spires, belfries, cupolas, chimneys, radio and flag poles and gas holders, which shall not exceed thirty-three (33) percent of the floor area of the first floor, and provided that such church spires, belfries, cupolas, chimneys, radio and flag poles and gas holders shall not be more than fifty (50) percent higher than the average height of the roof of the main structure. (Ord. of 6-29-87; Ord. of 4-11-88) Section 6 Business Districts line 2 (b) Lot Area which states the following b. All other uses----2 to 1 maximum floor area ratio. (Ord. of 6-29-87) BOARD OF APPEALS FOR THE CITY OF EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS Mary Gerace - Chairman Roberta Suppa - Clerk July 29, August 5, 2022
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