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Indian Trust Settlement Payments Released
. . . if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself for battle? I Corinthians 14:8 12/19/12
Maine Republic Email Alert
. . . that I should bear witness unto the truth. John 18:33 // David E. Robinson, Publisher
No.325
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -
COBELL SETTLEMENT MONEY ON
THE WAY - NATIONAL CONGRESS OF
AMERICAN INDIANS
Washington, DC On Monday the
Indian Trust Settlement Administrator
began issuing checks for the Cobell
settlement to an estimated 400,000
American Indians who are Individual
Indian Money (IIM) account holders.
In an effort to raise awareness about
the possibility of fraud and scams
targeting these account holders the
National Congress of American Indians
(NCAI) has released a Public Service
Announcements (PSA) for radio stations
as part of the organizations Protect
Native Money initiative.
This settlement can benefit you, your
family and your communities, but we
must all be aware of the potential
negative impacts. You or others may be
a target for scams, says NCAI s
Jefferson Keel in the radio PSA being
distributed to Native American radio
stations throughout the United States.
Dishonest people know about the
settlement and are figuring ways to take
money from you. Be aware and be
watchful. If you suspect a scam, you can
contact your States Attorney General
Office of Consumer Protection or your
tribe.
Keel and NCAI are also encouraging
Native people to become educated and
visit the organizations site full of
information on the issue at...
http://www.ncai.org/protectnativemoney.
NCAI has also developed an alert
with information for tribes to provide to
their members. Keel closes the PSA by
saying, Remember, its your money, its
Native money. Lets keep it that way for
generations to come.
NCAI outlines specific ways in which
recipients may be targeted. Individuals
in these circumstances usually get mail,
phone calls, and email with ideas for how
to spend the money.
For example, individuals or their family
might get offers for new or used vehicles,
credit card or loan offers, rent-to-own
deals, or an advance on the money. The
organization is encouraging individuals to
determine how to save or spend their
money, and to be wary of scams that
encourage people to Act Now!, make
big promises, offer no risk, or tell people
to keep it secret referring to the offer.
NCAI says the best way to protect
Native money is to make a plan, take
your time when deciding how to spend
the money, ask questions, and talk to
someone your trust.
The Cobell settlement payments,
bei ng made by the Indi an Trust
Settl ement Admi ni strator, wi l l be
distributed in two payments with the first
being the $1,000 to everyone in the class.
These payments are expected to
have been mailed on Monday December
17, 2012. The remaining payments will
go out within six months of the first
payment. $1.5 billion is slated for
individuals in these initial payouts. $1.9
billion will go to repurchase fractionated
interests over the next 10 years.
A major number of the recipients are
in Montana, North and South Dakota,
Idaho, Washington, California, Arizona,
Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Minnesota.
NCAI has also learned that the court
will issue an order this week appointing
a special master to oversee the
distribution of the funds with a focus on
efforts to locate all eligible beneficiaries.
Efforts will be made to reach out to
tribes to help locate members who may
be eligible but who may need to update
their addresses.
NCAI is directing individuals who have
questions about payments for class
members of the Cobell v. Salazar
settl ement, to contact the cl ai ms
administrator, Garden City Group, Inc.,
directly.
Call: 1-800-961-6109 toll free. Email:
info@IndianTrust.com Mail: Indian Trust
Settlement, P.O. Box 9577, Dublin, OH
43017-4877
Trust Beneficiary Call Center
beneficiaries can contact the Trust
Beneficiary Call Center for the Office of
Special Trustee, toll-free, at 1-888-678-
6836
About The National Congress of
American Indians (NCAI): Founded in
1944, the National Congress of American
Indians is the oldest, largest and most
representative American Indian and
Alaska Native organization in the country.
NCAI advocates on behalf of tribal
governments and communi ti es,
promoti ng strong tri bal -federal
government-to-government policies, and
promoting a better understanding among
the general public regarding American
Indian and Alaska Native governments,
people and rights. For more information
visit http://www.ncai.org
Tom Wal l aceCommuni cati ons
DirectorNational Congress of American
IndiansLearn More http://www.ncai.org
Contact Information Office (202) 466-
7767 ext. 207,Cell (202) 630-1094,Fax
(202) 466-7797.
Maine Republic Free State News, 3 Linnell Circle, Brunswick, Maine 04011
http://maine-patriot.com / drobin88@comcast.net
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Maine Republic Free State News, 3 Linnell Circle, Brunswick, Maine 04011
http://maine-patriot.com / drobin88@comcast.net