IRS IMPERSONATION SCAM BY PHONE

[Hekate]

I phoned in a complaint to the local cops and was told they had "hundreds" of calls about this issue. They gave me the IRS hotline --> 1-800-366-4484. The voicemail there was full, but I am going to lodge my complaint at www.tigta.gov

It goes like this: A robocall comes to my home, twice in as many hours this afternoon. A woman with a warm voice tells me her name is Julie Smith, calling from the Internal Revenue Service. I am supposed to call her division at 415-506-2391. She uses the phrases "very time sensitive," and "very urgent." I am to respond personally or "need your attorney of record to respond." She signs off by warmly telling me to "take care of" myself.

Scary, right? I loathe people who do this kind of shit.

Do your grandma a favor and warn her that the real IRS would never do this. They have Men in Black for that (I kid, I kid).

Just my Public Service Announcement for the day.

[Jackpine Radical]

1. If they con't come in black helicopters

they ain't the real IRS.

[RKP5637]

6. Now, they come in drones with little IRS guys!

I loved that episode!

[WCIL]

2. This scam went through our town last week

hundreds of people got called, warning them that the IRS was ready to proceed in a lawsuit against them. The local media did a good job of getting out the message that the IRS doesn't work that way. I got one, too on the answering machine.

[Dont call me Shirley]

3. My voicemail got one. My first thought, SCAM!

[Piedras]

4. I received a similar IRS scam call

It came from 202-241-7158 according to caller ID. It was scary for a moment. Then I thought this must be a scam and checked out the number which proved it was.

It irritates me that nearly every day I'm called multiple times by scammy organizations. Being registered on the FTC do not call list doesn't seem to do much good anymore.

[hobbit709]

11. The do not call list only works for legit businesses. The scammers don't care about a list.

[Auggie]

5. They usually send letters. Thanks.

[CurtEastPoint]

7. I have read on the IRS that they NEVER email or call. They ALWAYS send letters.

For this very reason!

[colsohlibgal]

8. You Cannot Be Too Careful These Days

I screen all my calls. If I do not recognize the number I let it go. I figure if it's legit they'll leave a voice mail.

Just before I started screening I got a call from someone who claimed I had a box at a post office (I used to) and immediately asked for my SSN. I told her I was born at night but not last night, shame on you, and hung up on her.

[Ms. Toad]

9. They called here, too. n/t

[Jack Rabbit]

10. I have a firend who gotten calls from these creeps

Or similar creeps.

She hardly has enough money to cover her day-to-day expenses. I hate to think what they expect to get out of her.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

12. THE IRS ALWAYS STARTS BY SENDING A LETTER,

often a registered letter.

Their first contact is NEVER by phone.

Furthermore, they give you about a month to either pay up, dispute the claim, or set up an installment account. They NEVER say, as my scammer did, "If you don't send us a check by next week, we'll put out a warrant for your arrest."

[brooklynite]

13. They don't need to robocall...

...the NSA surveillance satellites know when you're home so they can talk to you directly.

[Nye Bevan]

14. I got a call saying that my taxes were overdue and they were going to seize all my property etc.

Last edited Sat Oct 11, 2014, 05:53 AM - Edit history (1)

I pretended to be really concerned and asked how I could stop this happening. They put me onto the "supervisor" who offered me one last chance to settle my "tax bill". I had to go to the bank, withdraw the money in cash, take it to the drugstore, buy some kind of prepaid debit card with it, and give him the information, but I needed to stay on the phone with the "IRS supervisor" the whole time that I was doing all this! Yes guys, sure, sounds really legit.

[ReRe]

15. My mesage to everyone...

... get an answering machine.

[Initech]

16. Caller ID is your friend.

Just like e-mails, if you don't know who it's from, DON'T ANSWER IT!!! It's that simple!

[jmowreader]

17. My parents got a phone call from one of the "jail" scammers

This was during a "family dinner" with all three of my sisters and their husbands. Up comes the scammer...

"Hello, this is your son-in-law. I've been arrested in Toronto and need $500 to bail out of jail."
'How could one of my son-in-laws be in jail in Toronto when they're all in my living room?'

I actually hope one of those IRS scammers calls me. I have some shit planned...

[HeiressofBickworth]

18. My daughter works for an accounting firm

She told me some clients had been getting these fake IRS calls and called their accountant to find out why.