Post: #1

After I finished in court this morning, I saw that I had a missed call from a Washington State number. I checked my voicemail messages and I had an automated message saying that the I.R.S. has filed a lawsuit against me and for more information, I could call this Washington State number. It didn't sound right, but I don't like to ignore phone calls, even garbage phone calls. When I called, a guy with a heavy South Asian accent said that a lawsuit had been initiated against me by the I.R.S., that criminal charges had also been filed, and that if this were not taken care of within seventy two hours, that I would be arrested. The guy said that this was for underpayment of taxes during the years 2012 to 2014 and that if I paid a pretty modest amount of money by moneygram or by credit or debit card, that would take care of the problem. The funny part is that I owe exponentially more than that amount just for the year 2014 and I will be paying it off in about six weeks. For the years 2012 and 2013, I paid all taxes plus late fees and never heard anything back from the I.R.S. My understanding is that the I.R.S. always sends you notices and/or visits you if there is some kind of problem. It couldn't be any more obvious that this was a scam. Has anybody else received a call like this and if so, have you reported the people who are doing this?

Post: #2

call the real IRS. if it is a scam they would be most interested and if it's not you will now know

Post: #3

(08-25-2015 10:22 AM)Virtus Wrote:  call the real IRS. if it is a scam they would be most interested and if it's not you will now know

The real I.R.S. put me on hold than eventually disconnected me because there was too high of a call volume. I am very diligent about checking my mail and if there was a problem, they would have sent me something and if they had sent me something, I would know about it. This was a scam and was very similar to the I.R.S. scams that people are describing online.

The I.R.S. website specifically says that the I.R.S. will never:
1. Call to demand immediate payment or call about taxes without first having mailed a bill.
2. Demand that you pay taxes without first giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount you owe.
3. Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes such as a debit card.
4. Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
5. Threaten to bring in police or other law enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.

Post: #4

The IRS only accepts payments from EFTPS or via a check mailed to one of their centers.

Scam indeed, only scammers use moneywire.

Post: #5

(08-25-2015 10:36 AM)The Beast1 Wrote:  The IRS only accepts payments from EFTPS or via a check mailed to one of their centers.

Scam indeed, only scammers use moneywire.

If I get the time, I will report them. I asked that bollocks for his name and all his contact information and with a straight face and in the heaviest South Asian accent possible, he gave me a really common anglicized first and last name. Giving a really common name is supposedly another common characteristic of these scams.

Post: #6

The IRS does virtually everything by mail. If they call it is a scam 99.99999% of the time. The only time they will ever call is when you send them a form telling them to call you.

Post: #7

Filthy scammers, this guy called back

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSIO2z3qrw..._tdA%3D%3D

Post: #8

I had one of these call about 18 mos ago. It's been running for a while

IRS Press Release About Scam


Scam Phone Calls Continue; IRS Identifies Five Easy Ways to Spot Suspicious Calls

IR-2014-84, Aug. 28, 2014
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service issued a consumer alert today providing taxpayers with additional tips to protect themselves from telephone scam artists calling and pretending to be with the IRS.
These callers may demand money or may say you have a refund due and try to trick you into sharing private information. These con artists can sound convincing when they call. They may know a lot about you, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. If you don’t answer, they often leave an “urgent” callback request.
“These telephone scams are being seen in every part of the country, and we urge people not to be deceived by these threatening phone calls,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said. “We have formal processes in place for people with tax issues. The IRS respects taxpayer rights, and these angry, shake-down calls are not how we do business.”
The IRS reminds people that they can know pretty easily when a supposed IRS caller is a fake. Here are five things the scammers often do but the IRS will not do. Any one of these five things is a tell-tale sign of a scam. The IRS will never:
Call to demand immediate payment, nor will we call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill..

Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.

Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.

Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.

Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what you should do:
If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. The IRS workers can help you with a payment issue.

If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1.800.366.4484 or at http://www.tigta.gov.

You can file a complaint using the FTC Complaint Assistant; choose “Other” and then “Imposter Scams.” If the complaint involves someone impersonating the IRS, include the words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes.
Remember, too, the IRS does not use unsolicited email, text messages or any social media to discuss your personal tax issue. For more information on reporting tax scams, go to http://www.irs.gov and type “scam” in the search box.
Additional information about tax scams are available on IRS social media sites, including YouTube and Tumblr where people can search “scam” to find all the scam-related posts.
Follow the IRS on New Media
Subscribe to IRS Newswire

Post: #9

Anybody who calls you and asks you to send money by WU or credit card is likely scamming you. Those people are probably calling from Nigeria.
Anyway call the real IRS if you have doubts

Post: #10

I got the equivalent from Canada Revenue Agency a couple months ago. Also a scam.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/nwsrm/lrts/2015...0-eng.html

Post: #11

(08-25-2015 02:40 PM)Chemistry Wrote:  I got the equivalent from Canada Revenue Agency a couple months ago. Also a scam.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/nwsrm/lrts/2015...0-eng.html

Was the caller Indian?

Post: #12

I used to wait until the last second or even past the deadline to file taxes. No more, I'm doing them the day I get my W2 so scammers can't file a false return for me.

Am also applying for an IRS PIN, due to potential identity theft from stupid IT people where I work.

And, putting a freeze on my credit since I won't ever need more.

http://krebsonsecurity.com/what-tax-frau...ms-can-do/

http://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/06/how-i...ty-freeze/

I believe another thread in RVF pointed me to krebsonsecurity.com.

Post: #13

This morning, after receiving the call, I googled the number on my call i.d. and nothing really came up. Tonight, I googled the number and countless people had reported the number, all as an I.R.S. scam and all from today.

Post: #14

One of my Ukrainian coworkers told me about this. He said they call you and try to scam you pretending to be the IRS. I've never heard of this but apparently its really common. There a few youtube videos of people calling them back and messing with them. Usually their indian accent gives them away.

Post: #15

They are catching and prosecuting some of these people, but I think the fact that a lot of the calls are being made in India is making it difficult for them to catch a lot of the people who are doing it. I just read that a former NFL player fell for this and sent them a lot of money.

Post: #16

Ownage did an amazing video on this


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSIO2z3qrwA

Post: #17

Has anyone ever tried to counterscam them. Convince them you really fell for their bullshit and are preparing a large sum to be wired to their shady South Asian/Nigerian/Bahamas bank.

However, there's a snag..you require a $3,000 "processing" fee or "lawyer retainer" or "accounting thingamajig fee" before your funds clear and you can wire your $30,000 sum to them to clear the IRS docket. You need them to send this to you asap so you can process the money and wire it to them.

Post: #18

(08-27-2015 08:37 AM)El Chinito loco Wrote:  Has anyone ever tried to counterscam them. Convince them you really fell for their bullshit and are preparing a large sum to be wired to their shady South Asian/Nigerian/Bahamas bank.

However, there's a snag..you require a $3,000 "processing" fee or "lawyer retainer" or "accounting thingamajig fee" before your funds clear and you can wire your $30,000 sum to them to clear the IRS docket. You need them to send this to you asap so you can process the money and wire it to them.

I thought about trying to set them up like that, but don't really have the time for it. I'm convinced that they way that they got my information was through my cell phone records. They used an address which only appears on my cell phone information. My driver's license and my vehicle title and registration go through my home address. Everything else, including taxes, uses my office address.

Post: #19

I received a call this morning from a former client saying that he received a call in which somebody told him that he would be arrested within a half hour. The client told me that the person was speaking English, that he could barely understand him, and that the person who called him told him that they didn't have a person who spoke Spanish. I asked the client two questions, did the guy who called you sound Indian and did the person claim to be the I.R.S.? He answered yes to both questions. I then told him I was almost 100% sure that it was a scam, but that I would call the number anyway just to confirm. When I called, a guy with a South Asian accent answered saying "IRS." I then called the client back and said that it was the same scam they tried to get me with a while back, that if the I.R.S. really had a problem with him they would send him a letter, and that the I.R.S. will never call him threatening to have him arrested. These bollockses supposedly target immigrants, so this experience was consistent with that.

Post: #20

(08-25-2015 02:40 PM)Chemistry Wrote:  I got the equivalent from Canada Revenue Agency a couple months ago. Also a scam.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/nwsrm/lrts/2015...0-eng.html

I called them back once, it was fun asking for service in French and them making excuses that it couldn't be done.