North Carolina Voters Have The 2nd Most Power This Election

I couldn't be more over this entire election season. But we've still got a few days left, and here in North Carolina, we are going to continue to hear about it. North Carolina voters hold a lot of power in this election and so there is a ton of money being dumped in the states.

Like you probably are, I'm tired of being inundated with political ads. Especially the negative ads about candidates. Instead of telling me why I shouldn't vote for someone else, tell me why I should vote for YOU. Or the one I keep getting saying that "if you vote is public" and "you're friends and family can look up if you voted after the election". No friends of mine are doing that and I'm seriously judging anyone who has that much time on their hands.

I know who I'm voting for at this point, and no amount of unwanted text messages from people I've never met or attack ads on either side is going to impact that. Again North Carolina voters have a lot of power, I get that. But the more you harass me the more I'm just going to resent your side.

But just how much power do North Carolina voters really have in this election? Well according to our friends at WalletHub they have the second most power of any state's voters. They had this to say that with the 2024 election approaching a select few states hold the fate of the presidency (and the economy) in their ballots.

WalletHub recently released a report called 2024’s States with the Most & Least Powerful Voters. The goal of the study was "to highlight where people’s votes matter the most, and thus where people have the biggest responsibility to make their voices heard."

WalletHub compared the power of 2024 voters in the presidential election as well as the Senate elections. They did this by calculating a Voter Power Score for each state.  

As you can see, North Carolina voters have a ton of power in the presidential election. In fact, the only state's voters with more power? Is Nevada. No wonder it seems like a candidate is here every week!

Thanks to our friends at WalletHub for sharing their research with us. You can learn more and read the full methodology here.

Scams are a scary thing, so you should know these new scams that are trending. It's easy to think that you could never fall for a scam, but the truth is that scammers are getting better and better and what they're doing, so it's getting more difficult to stay safe.

Before we get into the new scams that are trending, it's worth reminding ourselves of some age-old scams. Some scam artists just keep doing the same thing, and they keep getting successful results. The IRS has some good information out about tax-related scams and how to avoid them. On the agency's official website, they warn that seniors are often targeted in scams. This was true years ago and is still true. On their site, they warn taxpayers not to fall for scams targeting older adults. "Scammers pretending to be government officials, aim to steal sensitive personal information and money," they state. "By posing as representatives from agencies such as the IRS, or other government agencies, these fraudsters use fear and deceit to exploit their victims."

Another big scam that's been around forever is scammers claiming their services are needed to settle with the IRS and "that their debts can be settled for 'pennies-on-the-dollar' or that there is a limited window of time to resolve tax debts through the Offer in Compromise (OIC) program." The IRS says "these promoters are often referred to as 'OIC Mills.'" In a release, the IRS adds that an Offer in Compromise "mill" will "usually make outlandish claims, frequently in radio and TV ads, about how they can settle a person's tax debt for cheap. In reality, the promoter fees are often excessive, and taxpayers pay the OIC mill to get the same deal they could have received on their own by working directly with the IRS. This takes unnecessary money out of the taxpayer's wallet."

"Too often, we see some unscrupulous promoters mislead taxpayers into thinking they can magically get rid of a tax debt," IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a statement. "This is a legitimate IRS program, but there are specific requirements for people to qualify. People desperate for help can make a costly mistake if they clearly don't qualify for the program. Before using an aggressive promoter, we encourage people to review readily available IRS resources to help resolve a tax debt on their own without facing hefty fees."

Now, let's move onto the new scams to avoid.

The AARP warns of a new scam called the "check cooking scam." The AARP states, "In check cooking, thieves take a digital picture of a stolen check and then use commercially available software to alter it." It can look super real, but it's fake. So, how do you stay safe? "Consider using a safer payment method, such as a credit card," they suggest.

The AARP states also warns of a new sweepstakes scam where "instead of trying to get you to pay taxes or other fees in advance to collect the nonexistent prize, the scammers will ask for personal information so that they can validate you and set up the payout." Just say no.

These days, AI scams are big. Experian.com says today, scammers use technology to "write more convincing and natural-sounding phishing emails and text messages." They can also "Impersonate the victim's friend or relative and ask for money as part of a grandparent scam." It's scary stuff. Beware of anything that sounds too crazy, as these can often seem far-fetched, but AI makes them look real.

Experian.com says that student loan forgiveness scams are on the rise. They note that, "scammers may contact you via phone or create phony application sites aimed at stealing your Social Security number or your bank account information." Don't give out your information. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

This one is really wild. With the games on the way, scammers can use the games to scam you. The AARP states, "A scammer hacks someone's email account, and shortly after, all of that person's contacts will receive the same message — something to the effect of, 'Hey guys, I'm over in Paris and my wallet got stolen! Can anyone please help me out by sending gift cards or a Venmo deposit?"

Whether the scam is new or old, the best way to avoid it is to stop and think about what's happening. These scam artists are super good at what they do, but if you just stop for a moment and really think out any actions, you can avoid making a rash decision that could cost you.