Just got a call (Voice mail) from the "IRS"

[MANative]

One of those scam calls that's been flooding Connecticut - the "IRS" claiming that a lawsuit has been filed "on your name" and will be sent to "County Court" unless the entire amount is paid immediately. They asked for $2800 IN A VOICE MAIL! Sheesh - how do people fall for this crap? Let's not even talk about the barely comprehensible foreign accent.

Even if someone owes the IRS (which I thankfully do not!), a very quick check of their website will confirm that they do not EVER initiate contact over the phone. Notices always come by regular old US Mail. FYI, one of the key numbers they use is 202-864-1327, showing a Caller ID of "Out of Area."

[Faux pas]

1. Greed fraud and thievery

reign in the good old usa.

[MANative]

2. While that's definitely true, the CT State Police have...

put out a statement that they think this particular fraud originates in either Pakistan or India. The accent on my voice mail would tend to confirm that.

[Faux pas]

8. We're targets for the whole world.

In more ways than one.

[lpbk2713]

3. If only one call out of a thousand gets results ...

They probably consider it time well spent. And I wouldn't be surprised if they do better than that.

[MANative]

4. I'm sure you're right. People panic at the terms "IRS" and "lawsuit"

Combine them, and you've got a recipe for irrational action. My husband had a customer come into his store about two weeks ago looking to buy a Green Dot card (the only form of "payment" they would accept) for exactly this scam - $2500, they asked for. He convinced the poor bugger that it was bogus, thank goodness.

[renate]

22. Good for your husband!

[MANative]

23. Yeah, he's definitely one of the good guys...

and it was easy for him to recognize this as a scam - he spent ten years investigating fraud as a police officer in Massachusetts, until a hip injury forced his retirement.

[Turbineguy]

5. They are also using

202-864-1319. A warrant has been issued for my arrest for tax evasion. In closing, Melvin wished me a nice day.

[MANative]

6. Just spoke to a friend of my - an attorney - whose colleague got the same call...

last week and actually almost fell for it.

[Turbineguy]

7. I called the FBI

They assured me the IRS doesn't work that way (I knew that). He advised not to call them back, even to tell them that I called the FBI on them.

[otohara]

9. I Got The Same Call

a few times.

I finally answered and laughed at his pathetic attempt to impersonate an IRS agent.
He hasn't called back.

[MANative]

10. The buggers called back THREE times yesterday.

Filed a complaint with FTC and IRS. Won't do much good, but it made me feel better to bitch about it! LOL

ETA: LOVE your kitty gif. My dearly departed Janeway used to do that all the time. You could see the glee in her eyes as she knocked everything off my nightstand!

[steve2470]

16. did you call the FBI also ? simply curious nt

[MANative]

18. No, I hadn't thought of that.

Should I?

[steve2470]

20. hm...there is advice at the url I gave, I don't know nt

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

11. I've heard about this scam

You're obviously smart enough not to fall for it. Sad to say many others, usually immigrants and the elderly, do fall for it.

[herding cats]

12. It's not a new scam either.

I had them try and hit me up a few years back. It was in a resort/retirement community I was working in at the time. I'll never forget the stammering before the hang up when I told them I'd just come out of an audit, and knew they were con artist, I would be reporting them and notifying the news outlets they were working the area.

[MANative]

13. From the local news report I heard, it sounds like the recent shift is to far more aggressive...

techniques, including telling victims that police are on their way to arrest them in minutes, that cars/homes will be confiscated, that their wages will be garnished starting with the next paycheck, and actually threatening them with physical harm (which should be a dead give-away that the whole thing is utterly bogus and nothing more than extortion). Calling numerous times is also part of the pattern, as they did yesterday with me.

[herding cats]

21. Sounds like they're ramping things up.

I guess they know they have a shorter window than they once had to bilk their marks. Now they're bringing out the big guns to try and pressure people into handing over their money before the word spreads that they're a bunch of scammers. Sadly, there are some people who fall victim to their methods.

Humorously, they kept calling me even after I had told them what I did. I let the rest go to voice-mail and don't recall if they left messages or not. I guess once they know they have a live number in the region they're working they don't let up.

[Liberal_in_LA]

14. a small percentage fall for it. that is all they need

[steve2470]

15. yep, some don't realize that the so-called "Gestapo tactics" of the IRS.....

only come after you've refused to cooperate and/or negotiate with them. They don't get all Gestapo right off the bat. It's the absolute worst case scenario, which is pretty rare from what I know.

[steve2470]

17. info at this url

http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-202-864-1327

[MANative]

19. That's where I looked up the number. It's a good resource of info. n/t

[cmckean]

24. Scam

I just received a voicemail from a man with an indian accent. He said that it was Fed Ex about liabilities filed in my name then said to call IRS at 2062577016. Im in Cali.