Two Cats Bookkeeping

09/10/2026

🚩 A scam targeting people in our area right now is more sophisticated than anything I've seen — here's the exact playbook, so you can recognize it instantly.

I want to share something real and raw.

Yesterday I received a call spoofed to display the actual Pinellas County Sheriff's Office phone number. The caller identified himself as a police captain, claimed I'd missed federal jury duty, and said someone had forged and mailed in a signature on a summons I never received — which was his reason for needing me to come in for a "signature comparison." He had a badge number, a citation ID, and both my home and mailing addresses ready to go.

From there the script escalated fast: a same-day "surety bond" fee in the $5,000–$7,000 range, a threat to "check my financial footprint" — bank accounts, investments — when I said I didn't have that on hand, instructions not to involve my spouse due to a fabricated "gag order," and a directive to stay on the phone throughout. The "bond office" he sent me to turned out to be a bitcoin kiosk at a gas station, asking to buy bitcoin OR send funds to El Salvador. The "official" documents he texted over were dense, small-print, built to look legitimate at a glance rather than survive being read closely.

I recognized the pattern, verified independently with the real Sheriff's Office (no such captain, badge, or case exists — this scam is actively running in our area), and filed a full report with the calls and texts as evidence. No funds were sent.

If you get a call like this:

--Hang up. Caller ID can be spoofed to show a real agency's actual number — it proves nothing.

--No court or law enforcement agency will ever request payment by phone, and never in bitcoin, gift cards, or wire transfer.

--A "gag order" that prevents you from speaking to your own spouse, or a demand to stay on the line while you drive somewhere, is a control tactic — not legal procedure.

--A threat to investigate your bank accounts or investments if you can't pay on the spot is intimidation, not authority.

--Verify independently. Look up the agency's number yourself and call it back — never use a number or link the caller provides.

These scams are getting harder to spot because they're built specifically to mimic the details that make something feel official. Recognizing the pattern — and knowing that a real agency never operates this way — is the best protection there is.

Share this with anyone who could get this call next; it's making the rounds.

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09/10/2026

🚩 A scam targeting people in our area right now is more sophisticated than anything I've seen — here's the exact playbook, so you can recognize it instantly.

I want to share something real and raw.

Yesterday I received a call spoofed to display the actual Pinellas County Sheriff's Office phone number. The caller identified himself as a police captain, claimed I'd missed federal jury duty, and said someone had forged and mailed in a signature on a summons I never received — which was his reason for needing me to come in for a "signature comparison." He had a badge number, a citation ID, and both my home and mailing addresses ready to go.

From there the script escalated fast: a same-day "surety bond" fee in the $5,000–$7,000 range, a threat to "check my financial footprint" — bank accounts, investments — when I said I didn't have that on hand, instructions not to involve my spouse due to a fabricated "gag order," and a directive to stay on the phone throughout. The "bond office" he sent me to turned out to be a bitcoin kiosk at a gas station, asking to buy bitcoin OR send funds to El Salvador. The "official" documents he texted over were dense, small-print, built to look legitimate at a glance rather than survive being read closely.

I recognized the pattern, verified independently with the real Sheriff's Office (no such captain, badge, or case exists — this scam is actively running in our area), and filed a full report with the calls and texts as evidence. No funds were sent.

If you get a call like this:

--Hang up. Caller ID can be spoofed to show a real agency's actual number — it proves nothing.

--No court or law enforcement agency will ever request payment by phone, and never in bitcoin, gift cards, or wire transfer.

--A "gag order" that prevents you from speaking to your own spouse, or a demand to stay on the line while you drive somewhere, is a control tactic — not legal procedure.

--A threat to investigate your bank accounts or investments if you can't pay on the spot is intimidation, not authority.

--Verify independently. Look up the agency's number yourself and call it back — never use a number or link the caller provides.

These scams are getting harder to spot because they're built specifically to mimic the details that make something feel official. Recognizing the pattern — and knowing that a real agency never operates this way — is the best protection there is.

Share this with anyone who could get this call next; it's making the rounds.

08/27/2026

A quick bookkeeping tip for my fellow business owners.

Heads up if you've been deducting office snacks, coffee, or working lunches for your team — as of January 1, 2026, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminated that deduction entirely. It used to be 50% deductible; now it's $0. Same goes for cafeteria-style meals, whether you run them yourself or use a third party.

The good news: client meals, travel meals, and meals tied to business entertainment are still deductible at their usual rate. The catch is the IRS wants real documentation — who was there and your relationship to them, the business purpose, the date, the restaurant, and an itemized receipt (not just the credit card slip). I tell my clients to log it the same day it happens, since nobody remembers six months later if that lunch was a client meeting or just lunch.

I'm Stacey, owner of Two Cats Bookkeeping — I help small, service-based businesses here in St. Pete keep their books clean and their tax time drama-free. If you've got a bookkeeping question you've been sitting on, drop it in the comments or send me a DM. Always happy to nerd out about this stuff. 🐾

06/10/2026

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04/19/2026