Warning IRS Scam. Scared the hell out of me

SixPapaCharlie

SixPapaCharlie

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I have zero legal knowledge or knowledge about how IRS operates so I got scared.

Just got a phone cal from Virginia
They called my cell but asked for my wife.
I said this is my phone, you can talk to me.

He says all my bank accounts have been frozen and a warrant issued for my arrest, and a lean on my assets. He adds there is an officer enroute to my house.

He said I knowingly evaded my taxes and they have proof.

The weird thing is he never asked for money. He kept asking for my attorney's phone number.

I asked "Why is this the first I am hearing of this?"

He said if you are telling me this is the first you are hearing of this then you are stating that the IRS is wrong and you are lying.

I asked "What do you want from me" expecting him to ask for money or a credit card number so I would know it was a scam. Again, he just asks for my attorney's name and number and states the police will be at my house (Gave me my address) on 45 minutes to arrest me.

I basically told him to go Eff himself then he said I am now in trouble for threatening an IRS officer. He gave me his name and said the call was being recorded.

I jump in my car and drive away from my house so I can collect my thoughts. I call my dad and explained what is going on and I may need bail. He told me to call my CPA and then call him back.

I call my CPA and he says I am the 7th person this month that has called him with this story.

He explained that the IRS is not going to send police to your house or issue a warrant (probably everyone but me knows this). He explained that they will send letters, then call if they get no response, then setup a meeting where they will explain the situation and request payment of back taxes.

I called my dad back and he explained some situation he went through back in the 80s where they had some accounts that got frozen by the IRS and he said it is a long process and they don't just come after you.

Again, I am pretty naive with this stuff so it scared the hell out of me. My heart is still pounding.

If you get a call from the IRS and they start making threats right out of the chute, hang up.

I need a drink.
 
there are some sick people in the world...although this one is just words so pretty benign
 
That's a weird one. I wonder where they were going with it by asking for your lawyers info.

My 90 year old grandmother got a phone call once saying I was locked up in mexico and at risk for my life and needed emergency money to get out. They gave her all sorts of personal information about me. Luckily she declined thinking I was an idiot to have gotten myself in such a situation and said "his father can deal with this". She immediately called my dad who had the sense to call my cell phone. It is crazy what information and research these scammers are putting into what they are doing.
 
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Don't know the exact phraseology but telling someone to go eff themselves doesn't sound like a viable threat to me. When someone calls me and the first thing they say is: "Is this <my name>?" I pretty much hang up unless I recognize the number or voice. I can't believe how rude some people are on the phone. I always announce myself first, then get on with it.

With the new 20,000 pages of regulations related to IRS collections, and admin there's going to be a lot of scams revolving around the IRS coming this spring. Should be a lucrative phishing pool.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I have zero legal knowledge or knowledge about how IRS operates so I got scared.

Just got a phone cal from Virginia
They called my cell but asked for my wife.
I said this is my phone, you can talk to me.

He says all my bank accounts have been frozen and a warrant issued for my arrest, and a lean on my assets. He adds there is an officer enroute to my house.

He said I knowingly evaded my taxes and they have proof.

The weird thing is he never asked for money. He kept asking for my attorney's phone number.

I asked "Why is this the first I am hearing of this?"

He said if you are telling me this is the first you are hearing of this then you are stating that the IRS is wrong and you are lying.

I asked "What do you want from me" expecting him to ask for money or a credit card number so I would know it was a scam. Again, he just asks for my attorney's name and number and states the police will be at my house (Gave me my address) on 45 minutes to arrest me.

I basically told him to go Eff himself then he said I am now in trouble for threatening an IRS officer. He gave me his name and said the call was being recorded.

I jump in my car and drive away from my house so I can collect my thoughts. I call my dad and explained what is going on and I may need bail. He told me to call my CPA and then call him back.

I call my CPA and he says I am the 7th person this month that has called him with this story.

He explained that the IRS is not going to send police to your house or issue a warrant (probably everyone but me knows this). He explained that they will send letters, then call if they get no response, then setup a meeting where they will explain the situation and request payment of back taxes.

I called my dad back and he explained some situation he went through back in the 80s where they had some accounts that got frozen by the IRS and he said it is a long process and they don't just come after you.

Again, I am pretty naive with this stuff so it scared the hell out of me. My heart is still pounding.

If you get a call from the IRS and they start making threats right out of the chute, hang up.

I need a drink.
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This happened to me TWICE in about 2-3 weeks a few months ago. For whatever reason, they actually called my parents house, and spoke with my father. I remember getting a frantic call from him while at work...telling me to call a Roger Chambers from some "Federal Tax Collections Department" (which was the first clue it was fake...the name of the entity they were calling from). I call this Chambers fellow, who happened to have a Long Beach, Ca registered phone number. I googled the number before I called, and found this out. On top of that, as bigoted as this may seem, when I talk to a Roger Chambers, I expect the english to be good. Not the case here; the english had a very thick Filipino accent. This was the second clue. Lastly, they said that I had some back-taxes that I (like you) knowingly evaded paying back in 1999-2001. I asked them how much it was, and they told me it totaled up about $14,000.00. I start thinking to myself....that was pretty freaking good considering I was 13 years old at the time.

At this point, I knew it was some sort of scam, but I had some time to kill at work....I figured I'd ask them how we can get this situation taken care of as expeditiously as possible. Like you, they didn't want any money, but instead asked to speak with my attorney. I told them that I would contact him, and that they would get a call back. Now, this is where I dropped the ball...I hang up with them, wait about 15 minutes, then call back. My mistake was that I called back from the same number I called them back with the first time...they must have had called ID. They said they knew it was me, have traced my cell phone, and are sending police (as we speak) to my home to arrest me. They advised I wait for them in front of my house :lol::lol:

About a week or so later, I get another call almost identical to this...the only difference was that they were using a different name, and a virginia phone number...kudos to them for making it seem a bit more believable this time.....just like the first time, I tried to keep them on the line as long as possible to **** them off....

Just trying to do my civic duty!
 
Sometimes I have friends prank other people in my contact list.

Sorry bout that. Figured you'd react differently.
 
The IRS doesn't make phone calls to private residents as far as I know.
 
This scam has been around for a few years. We occasionally get clients who are the targets of the scam. Rule #1 Federal Agencies will not call you. You will get a letter or a knock on the door. I've seen local police call on a minor matter, ie were you driving a blue Jeep in town at noon, but not the Feds. It sounds as though these knuckle heads have taken an old scam and botched it. Telling you to call your attorney is like asking to be exposed.

Sometimes unscrupulous debt collectors will play a similar game. I could tell you some stories.
 
Skyscraper said:
The IRS doesn't make phone calls to private residents as far as I know.
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Yeah, they do. Know a guy (deceased now) that went through a huge huge huge ordeal with them. They basically employed gestapo tactics.
 
Skyscraper said:
The IRS doesn't make phone calls to private residents as far as I know.
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Oh, the whole thing is BS....also, if you notice, the will never refer to themselves as the "IRS". It's always going to be some generic, yet official-sounding name like "National Treasury Collections Office" or some such junk like that...

Basically, what they do is use Magic Jack or whatever VoIP-type phone service, create a US-based number, and call people.
 
EdFred said:
Sometimes I have friends prank other people in my contact list.

Sorry bout that. Figured you'd react differently.
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Well, your friend with the Philipino accent is a d*ck
 
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.”
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http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Sca...ifies-Five-Easy-Ways-to-Spot-Suspicious-Calls

I started receiving a bunch of these calls on my mother's old phone number. Since I don't answer that number they left messages. I thought that they were mostly targeting elderly people until I got one too. I went off on him and threatened to call the real IRS and I haven't gotten one since.
 
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Henning said:
Ask for an address to mail the check.:D
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I actually asked them that the first time they called. They said that the only course of action at that particular time was to have my attorney contact them...:dunno:
 
vkhosid said:
I actually asked them that the first time they called. They said that the only course of action at that particular time was to have my attorney contact them...:dunno:
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That's what this guy was after. I am not sure I get the scam.
I was wondering if i stayed on if they would eventually asked for money.
 
Glad this was a hoax. Our CPA is my dad. If he had been doing illegal things with our taxes, Thanksgiving dinner would be awkward this year.
 
Mrs. SixPapaCharlie said:
Glad this was a hoax. Our CPA is my dad. If he had been doing illegal things with our taxes, Thanksgiving dinner would be awkward this year.
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What are you doing with that whack-ass "non-profit" of yours?
I always suspected it was a front for a money laundering scam.

I notice I always get paid in foreign cash when I do work up there.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
That's what this guy was after. I am not sure I get the scam.
I was wondering if i stayed on if they would eventually asked for money.
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You know, that's the only logical conclusion I'm coming to as well....that the person is sooooo adamant about resolving the issue without getting lawyers involved, that by the end of the conversation, they're practically begging you to take their money.

A part of me did get a kick out of the fact that I totally got him to cuss me out on the phone.....and the fact that I wasted about 30 or so minutes of their time...

If they were going to call me one more time, I talked to a friend of mine who was going to call them back pretending to be my attorney. That would have been a fun conversation to record... :lol:
 
Well, I did get 2 emails like this in the last 2 weeks:

Dear business owner,
A criminal complaint has been filled against your company.
Your company is being accused of trying to commit tax evasion schemes.
The full text of the complaint file ( .DOC type ) can be viewed in your Microsoft Word, complaint is attached.
AN official response from your part is required, in order to take further action.
Please review the charges brought forward in the complaint file, and contact us as soon as possible by :
Telephone Assistance for Businesses: Toll-Free, 1-800-829-4933
Email: complaints@irs.gov
Thank you,
Internal Revenue Service Fraud Prevention Department


I'm sure it's nothing though.
 
Mrs. SixPapaCharlie said:
Well, I did get 2 emails like this in the last 2 weeks:

Dear business owner,
A criminal complaint has been filled against your company.
Your company is being accused of trying to commit tax evasion schemes.
The full text of the complaint file ( .DOC type ) can be viewed in your Microsoft Word, complaint is attached.
AN official response from your part is required, in order to take further action.
Please review the charges brought forward in the complaint file, and contact us as soon as possible by :
Telephone Assistance for Businesses: Toll-Free, 1-800-829-4933
Email: complaints@irs.gov
Thank you,
Internal Revenue Service Fraud Prevention Department


I'm sure it's nothing though.
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Please erase my company name from all check stubs in your ledger.
You are clearly running an illegal operation.
 
This is clearly an attempt to get free attorney recommendations. Pretty clever...
 
Captain said:
This is clearly an attempt to get free attorney recommendations. Pretty clever...
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Yeah, the caller is probably in deep doo with the IRS and needs a good referral.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
I basically told him to go Eff himself then he said I am now in trouble for threatening an IRS officer. He gave me his name and said the call was being recorded.
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I'm so scaaaared!! :yikes:
 
If you actually put a daytime phone number on your 1040 you could get a call. My sis uses 'Jo' rather than the longer version of her legal name. she had half a dozen W2 forms with the legal name, and her signature was clearly "Jo _______". The IRS clerk got her return rejected from the automated filing process for incorrect filer name, and they had to call and assure that the signature was the same as the person on the W2. I guess faster and as accurate as a long letter with a verification. The clerk just corrected it on the fly, and away they went. This was back in the late 80s, so today of course, they really would issue a warrant, and have a cop arrest her for not accurately signing her name. It's for the children....
 
This is a well known scam. The town I live in sends out public service texts, and this has been on it multiple times.

When I had them call me, which was before I had heard of it, ithe conversation raised enough flags, that I told him to hang on, that I was calling the IRS hotline, and that I was going to join the calls so he could talk to an IRS agent. He hung up before I could switch over.

i didn't get that far, but my understanding is that they will eventually ask for some form of a gift card.
 
Reedster said:
This is a well known scam. The town I live in sends out public service texts, and this has been on it multiple times.

When I had them call me, which was before I had heard of it, ithe conversation raised enough flags, that I told him to hang on, that I was calling the IRS hotline, and that I was going to join the calls so he could talk to an IRS agent. He hung up before I could switch over.

i didn't get that far, but my understanding is that they will eventually ask for some form of a gift card.
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Same here. The Police Department Facebook page was warning about it last week.
 
That makes sense, the target is immigrants, they would fall for this because many countries this wouldn't be unheard of tactics of pervasive corruption. It's sad.:nonod:
 
If they call and ask you to send them gift cards, just tell them that you have a cashiers check that your uncle gave you, but its for $5,000.00 more than they're asking. So if they could just wire you back the difference, that would be fantastic!!! I have no reason to believe that they won't go for it! :)
 
vkhosid said:
If they call and ask you to send them gift cards, just tell them that you have a cashiers check that your uncle gave you, but its for $5,000.00 more than they're asking. So if they could just wire you back the difference, that would be fantastic!!! I have no reason to believe that they won't go for it! :)
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HAHAH! I have 3 cashier's checks for 980 each that someone sent me to be a secret shopper at walmart. I knew it was a scam so I went with it.
I wanted to see the checks. They look totally legit. I can see how someone would cash them.
 
The Feds never call like this.

Next time you get a call like this, have some fun. Tell them you know you have made a mistake and beg them for forgiveness. Tell them you will send everything you owe plus interest, and ask for their bank account and address.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
HAHAH! I have 3 cashier's checks for 980 each that someone sent me to be a secret shopper at walmart. I knew it was a scam so I went with it.
I wanted to see the checks. They look totally legit. I can see how someone would cash them.
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In a previous life, I used to work as a teller at a local bank branch. One day, a guy comes in with a check for around $50K, and says he wants to deposit it. I process the deposit, and THATS when he says, "well, now I'd like to send a wire." That brought up a lot of red flags. When I ask him about it, he pulls out a letter from his pocket. Apparently, I was in the presence of unimaginable greatness...believe it or not fellas, I was speaking to (what I can only imagine is) the only man in the world that has won the New Zealand STATE Lotto.

That's when I proceeded with my interrogation.

Me: Sir, do you remember entering in the New Zealand State Lotto?
Him: No, I don't recall.
Me: Sir, have you ever even visited New Zealand?
Him: No, I haven't
Me: They why the **** do you think you won the lotto there?
Him: *Disappointed look*

I got a kick out of it....

On the flip-side of all this, I had another client (when I managed a bank branch) who was in her 80s and kept receiving mailings saying that she won a substantial amount of money, but needed to send in a check to cover the taxes/fees/expenses/whatever before she could receive it. This must have been going on for about a year before I saw it. I tried to explain to her that it was fraud, but she refused to listen to me....it was quite sad, actually....the only thing I could do was forward the info to our fraud department to have them deal with it. At this point, from the banks perspective, it was a liability issue. The only other thing I could do was call the City of San Francisco, department that deals with elder abuse and have them take it over as well...


Point being......as funny as it is to **** with these people, there are others that fall for it....thats why when I get them on the line, I try and waste as much of their time as possible.
 
This is from the IRS link above on what to do if someone tries this scam on you. First on the list is this-

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.
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Now the IRS doesn't run shake down calls like this buuuuuttt... if somebody else happens to do it for them, they'll take it!! :rolleyes2:
 
Mrs. SixPapaCharlie said:
Well, I did get 2 emails like this in the last 2 weeks:

Dear business owner,
A criminal complaint has been filled against your company.
Your company is being accused of trying to commit tax evasion schemes.
The full text of the complaint file ( .DOC type ) can be viewed in your Microsoft Word, complaint is attached.
AN official response from your part is required, in order to take further action.
Please review the charges brought forward in the complaint file, and contact us as soon as possible by :
Telephone Assistance for Businesses: Toll-Free, 1-800-829-4933
Email: complaints@irs.gov
Thank you,
Internal Revenue Service Fraud Prevention Department


I'm sure it's nothing though.
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Nothing but their virus waiting to be downloaded. Delete it, or select "Report as Spam" but DO NOT OPEN THE ATTACHMENT!!
 
Everskyward said:
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Sca...ifies-Five-Easy-Ways-to-Spot-Suspicious-Calls

I started receiving a bunch of these calls on my mother's old phone number. Since I don't answer that number they left messages. I thought that they were mostly targeting elderly people until I got one too. I went off on him and threatened to call the real IRS and I haven't gotten one since.
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My response?

" I know you are in Pakistan [or India or other] and using VOIP on a phone in Dallas (it was last time I got one of these calls) hence I will be sending my recording of this phone call to the FBI & the US State Dept, who will contact the corresponding agencies in your country. We'll see how you like dealing with the ISI [or other country agency]."

(*evil laugh*)
 
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