Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Non-investing personal finance issues including insurance, credit, real estate, taxes, employment and legal issues such as trusts and wills.
Post Reply
Topic Author
cheapskate
Posts: 926
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2007 1:05 pm

Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by cheapskate »

There seems to be a widespread scam where crooks pose as IRS agents and call taxpayers at their residence. The call usually goes like this :

"Are you Mr/Mrs XYZ ? This is IRS investigative officer Mr ABC. You have a court hearing today about back taxes owed. If you don't pay the backtaxes today, you could be arrested". Then they demand a credit card number, or a pre-paid debit card for payment. A couple of things that stand out here are

- They spoof a Washington DC number. On caller id, it seems like it could be someone from the IRS.
- In a lot of cases, they seem to have the last 4 of the taxpayers social security number.
- The callers have Indian or Filipino accents. But they identify themselves with american/western sounding names (my caller identified himself as Hugh Jackson).
- The callers use a serious almost threatening tone.
- They ask if the taxpayer has an attorney representing them, and ask for the attorney's details.

I got a call this morning at 7 AM PST. I hung up immediately. They called me again. I warned them that I knew this was a scam and never to call me again or I'd call the police.

When I mentioned this to my wife later, she said that she might have fallen for this. At least she would have given them some information. She wasn't aware that :

1) The IRS will always correspond by US Mail first.
2) The IRS will never initiate legal proceedings without written communication, delivered by either US Mail or a subpoena in person or something.
3) The IRS will never ever ask for credit/debit card details or demand a wire transfer on the phone.

I think Bogleheads can spot this as a scam instantly, but you might want to alert other members of your family who might not have any idea how the IRS works.
Call_Me_Op
Posts: 9881
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:57 pm
Location: Milky Way

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by Call_Me_Op »

Thanks for the heads-up on this! Always better to be prepared, lest you be caught off guard.
Best regards, -Op | | "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." Einstein
User avatar
ResearchMed
Posts: 16795
Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2008 10:25 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by ResearchMed »

Another red flag (aside from the flashing red lights and screaming warning sirens :!: ) is that if there is a court hearing, and one "loses", the first thing one might notice (if otherwise not paying attention...) would be a lien on assorted property. This would no doubt include a bank/checking account, which would be noticed pretty quickly.

This IRS has some pretty long arms, and they don't need to deal with early actions that involve expenses of arresting people when they can instead put liens on property or flat out seize assets.

Nope, no personal experience with seized assets, but there are a lot of steps before arresting people (other than those accused of criminal behavior, which won't end up in simple "tax court").

But it's mighty intimidating language for the naïve...

RM
User avatar
Ged
Posts: 3945
Joined: Mon May 13, 2013 1:48 pm
Location: Roke

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by Ged »

Talk about low-life scum.

There is a warning about this on the IRS site.

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Warns-of-Phone-Scam

They also give a phone number to report this 'activity'. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 800-366-4484.
User avatar
Abe
Posts: 2572
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2009 5:24 pm
Location: Earth in the Milky Way Galaxy

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by Abe »

ResearchMed wrote:Another red flag (aside from the flashing red lights and screaming warning sirens :!: ) is that if there is a court hearing, and one "loses", the first thing one might notice (if otherwise not paying attention...) would be a lien on assorted property. This would no doubt include a bank/checking account, which would be noticed pretty quickly.

This IRS has some pretty long arms, and they don't need to deal with early actions that involve expenses of arresting people when they can instead put liens on property or flat out seize assets.

Nope, no personal experience with seized assets, but there are a lot of steps before arresting people (other than those accused of criminal behavior, which won't end up in simple "tax court").

But it's mighty intimidating language for the naïve...

RM
Yes, this is true. The IRS does not have to arrest you to get their money. This happened to me. The IRS said I owed them X dollars. I did not know why they said I owed it because I had paid all the taxes I owed. I had to set it aside for a few days because of illness in my family and I was extremely busy. Before I could get to it, the IRS took the money from my bank account. I never did find out why they said I owed it.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Grt2bOutdoors
Posts: 25625
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: New York

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

Simple response - claims by the IRS can be appealed all the way up to an administrative judge.
Court cases involving taxes are civil cases, not criminal. Committing mail fraud is punishable by jail time.
Liens can be placed on bank accounts but only after an effort to notify you by mail has been made. Foreitures made by a bank to the IRS can be appealed with an IRS administrative judge - payment is not final until judgement has been decided.

However, posing as an agent of the federal government is a criminal act and punishable by fines and/or jail. Finally, tell the callers you'll be placing a call to the Department of Homeland Security about these financial terrorists. :twisted: Or you can inform them you will be notifying your retained attorneys - Smith and Wesson, Colt, LLP., which have specialization in these negotiations. :mrgreen:
"One should invest based on their need, ability and willingness to take risk - Larry Swedroe" Asking Portfolio Questions
manwithnoname
Posts: 1584
Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2013 7:52 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by manwithnoname »

If the IRS has questions about a tax return it will send a written inquiry on official IRS letterhead stating specific inquiries. IRS cannot begin inquiry for underpayment of taxes with a law suit. Also IRS can only bring cases in US tax court.

Letter will name the IRS office conducting the inquiry and the phone contact. It will state the address where the inquiry is to be returned to.

Second and this is most important, all IRS agents must identify themselves and provide their IRS ID number at the beginning of any phone call with a taxpayer. No exceptions. If you don't believe me call the IRS to order a publication. First thing the agent does is give their name and IRS ID number. If the caller does not give their ID number without prompting hang up.

Providing name and ID when talking to taxpayer is required under the 1998 IRS Reform Act.
Last edited by manwithnoname on Fri Mar 07, 2014 1:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jack FFR1846
Posts: 18500
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2013 6:05 am
Location: 26 miles, 385 yards west of Copley Square

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

Who answers their home phone anymore? Isn't that what answering machines are for?
Bogle: Smart Beta is stupid
scouter
Posts: 659
Joined: Fri May 28, 2010 11:24 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by scouter »

One correction- The IRS WILL sometimes initiate contact with a phone call. I got a phone call several weeks ago from a guy saying he was from the IRS, but his number was a landline from a suburb of Atlanta. I didn't pick up and didn't return the call because he wasn't very specific, just said it was in relation to my 401(k). I assumed it might be a scam and that if it was genuine, they would eventually send a letter. Sure enough, 4 days later I got an IRS notice in the mail that they are auditing my Individual 401(k) plan.
scrabbler1
Posts: 2798
Joined: Fri Nov 20, 2009 1:39 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by scrabbler1 »

What about that thing at the bottom of one's income tax return where the taxpayer can designate someone (other than a paid preparer) to call to discuss the taxpayer's return? The designee provides a PIN code so the IRS can verify that person.

When would the IRS use this? I help prepare tax returns for two of my friends and we agreed to put my name and PIN code on the return. However, one year one friend got a letter from the IRS about a small error I had made when preparing her return. My friend did not call me right away but she should have because I would have found my error in less than 5 minutes. Had the IRS called me using the info shown on her return, that would have been the same outcome, saving my friend a little bit of grief.

I would not expect to get scammed for this because the scammer would not know on whose returns my name and PIN are shown.
manwithnoname
Posts: 1584
Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2013 7:52 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by manwithnoname »

scouter wrote:One correction- The IRS WILL sometimes initiate contact with a phone call. I got a phone call several weeks ago from a guy saying he was from the IRS, but his number was a landline from a suburb of Atlanta. I didn't pick up and didn't return the call because he wasn't very specific, just said it was in relation to my 401(k). I assumed it might be a scam and that if it was genuine, they would eventually send a letter. Sure enough, 4 days later I got an IRS notice in the mail that they are auditing my Individual 401(k) plan.
Agent was giving you a heads up that the letter was coming so that you would not ignore it. IRS audit inquiries are only conducted in writing. If you had talked to the agent he would have given his IRS ID.
manwithnoname
Posts: 1584
Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2013 7:52 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by manwithnoname »

scrabbler1 wrote:What about that thing at the bottom of one's income tax return where the taxpayer can designate someone (other than a paid preparer) to call to discuss the taxpayer's return? The designee provides a PIN code so the IRS can verify that person.

When would the IRS use this? I help prepare tax returns for two of my friends and we agreed to put my name and PIN code on the return. However, one year one friend got a letter from the IRS about a small error I had made when preparing her return. My friend did not call me right away but she should have because I would have found my error in less than 5 minutes. Had the IRS called me using the info shown on her return, that would have been the same outcome, saving my friend a little bit of grief.

I would not expect to get scammed for this because the scammer would not know on whose returns my name and PIN are shown.
Excerpt from instruction for form 1040 (P72) on what IRS can ask a third party designated by the taxpayer on the tax return:

If you check the “Yes” box, you, and
your spouse if filing a joint return, are
authorizing the IRS to call the designee
to answer any questions that may arise
during the processing of your return.
You are also authorizing the designee to:
Give the IRS any information that
is missing from your return,
Call the IRS for information about
the processing of your return or the status
of your refund or payment(s),
Receive copies of notices or transcripts
related to your return, upon request,
and
Respond to certain IRS notices
about math errors, offsets, and return
preparation.
You are not authorizing the designee
to receive any refund check, bind you to
anything (including any additional tax
liability), or otherwise represent you before
the IRS. If you want to expand the
designee's authorization, see Pub. 947.
manwithnoname
Posts: 1584
Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2013 7:52 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by manwithnoname »

Abe wrote:
ResearchMed wrote:Another red flag (aside from the flashing red lights and screaming warning sirens :!: ) is that if there is a court hearing, and one "loses", the first thing one might notice (if otherwise not paying attention...) would be a lien on assorted property. This would no doubt include a bank/checking account, which would be noticed pretty quickly.

This IRS has some pretty long arms, and they don't need to deal with early actions that involve expenses of arresting people when they can instead put liens on property or flat out seize assets.

Nope, no personal experience with seized assets, but there are a lot of steps before arresting people (other than those accused of criminal behavior, which won't end up in simple "tax court").

But it's mighty intimidating language for the naïve...

RM
Yes, this is true. The IRS does not have to arrest you to get their money. This happened to me. The IRS said I owed them X dollars. I did not know why they said I owed it because I had paid all the taxes I owed. I had to set it aside for a few days because of illness in my family and I was extremely busy. Before I could get to it, the IRS took the money from my bank account. I never did find out why they said I owed it.
Obviously you did not pay all the taxes the IRS determined you owed. Ignoring IRS demand to pay taxes owed will result in a seizure of assets. Why didn't you retain a tax advisor after your received the IRS correspondence?
User avatar
Abe
Posts: 2572
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2009 5:24 pm
Location: Earth in the Milky Way Galaxy

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by Abe »

manwithnoname wrote:
Abe wrote:
ResearchMed wrote:Another red flag (aside from the flashing red lights and screaming warning sirens :!: ) is that if there is a court hearing, and one "loses", the first thing one might notice (if otherwise not paying attention...) would be a lien on assorted property. This would no doubt include a bank/checking account, which would be noticed pretty quickly.

This IRS has some pretty long arms, and they don't need to deal with early actions that involve expenses of arresting people when they can instead put liens on property or flat out seize assets.

Nope, no personal experience with seized assets, but there are a lot of steps before arresting people (other than those accused of criminal behavior, which won't end up in simple "tax court").

But it's mighty intimidating language for the naïve...

RM
Yes, this is true. The IRS does not have to arrest you to get their money. This happened to me. The IRS said I owed them X dollars. I did not know why they said I owed it because I had paid all the taxes I owed. I had to set it aside for a few days because of illness in my family and I was extremely busy. Before I could get to it, the IRS took the money from my bank account. I never did find out why they said I owed it.
Obviously you did not pay all the taxes the IRS determined you owed. Ignoring IRS demand to pay taxes owed will result in a seizure of assets. Why didn't you retain a tax advisor after your received the IRS correspondence?
Well, it was a long time ago. I may or may not have owed it; I don't really know.
I am aware that ignoring IRS demands will result in seizure. I was not ignoring anything; I put it off for a few days because of a family illness. I didn't think they would do anything that fast. The best I can remember, the only thing I received from them was a letter stating that I owed it. The reason I didn't hire a tax advisor was because I didn't think it was worth it, and I was so busy at the time I just didn't pursue it. But my point was they will just take the money if they think you owe it. At least that was my experience.
Slow and steady wins the race.
User avatar
frugaltype
Posts: 1952
Joined: Wed Apr 24, 2013 9:07 am

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by frugaltype »

Abe wrote:
manwithnoname wrote:
Abe wrote:
ResearchMed wrote:Another red flag (aside from the flashing red lights and screaming warning sirens :!: ) is that if there is a court hearing, and one "loses", the first thing one might notice (if otherwise not paying attention...) would be a lien on assorted property. This would no doubt include a bank/checking account, which would be noticed pretty quickly.

This IRS has some pretty long arms, and they don't need to deal with early actions that involve expenses of arresting people when they can instead put liens on property or flat out seize assets.

Nope, no personal experience with seized assets, but there are a lot of steps before arresting people (other than those accused of criminal behavior, which won't end up in simple "tax court").

But it's mighty intimidating language for the naïve...

RM
Yes, this is true. The IRS does not have to arrest you to get their money. This happened to me. The IRS said I owed them X dollars. I did not know why they said I owed it because I had paid all the taxes I owed. I had to set it aside for a few days because of illness in my family and I was extremely busy. Before I could get to it, the IRS took the money from my bank account. I never did find out why they said I owed it.
Obviously you did not pay all the taxes the IRS determined you owed. Ignoring IRS demand to pay taxes owed will result in a seizure of assets. Why didn't you retain a tax advisor after your received the IRS correspondence?
Well, it was a long time ago. I may or may not have owed it; I don't really know.
I am aware that ignoring IRS demands will result in seizure. I was not ignoring anything; I put it off for a few days because of a family illness. I didn't think they would do anything that fast. The best I can remember, the only thing I received from them was a letter stating that I owed it. The reason I didn't hire a tax advisor was because I didn't think it was worth it, and I was so busy at the time I just didn't pursue it. But my point was they will just take the money if they think you owe it. At least that was my experience.
i would have just phoned them up and asked what it was about. I see no reason to spend money on a tax advisor. Based on my dealings with the IRS (not for this kind of issue), I'm sure the information would have been forthcoming, although it sometimes takes them weeks or a few months to get back to you.

Maybe you didn't even owe them the money and it was a mistake on their part.

Since I do my own taxes, if I made a mistake I would want to know what it was so that I didn't make the same mistake on future returns.
User avatar
frugaltype
Posts: 1952
Joined: Wed Apr 24, 2013 9:07 am

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by frugaltype »

p.s. Thanks, OP, for the heads up.
User avatar
Ged
Posts: 3945
Joined: Mon May 13, 2013 1:48 pm
Location: Roke

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by Ged »

This scam seems to be gaining 'popularity'. There is an article in USA Today about it.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/per ... r/6664661/
likegarden
Posts: 3181
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 4:33 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by likegarden »

I once got a call from "Electric Utility", but never picked it up. They probably wanted to tell me they would cut power when I don't pay them xxx $, but could not do it. So when "IRS" calls, simply do not pick it up.
I also got a call with "Emergency" on it, but from a non-local phone number, did not pick up and had no Emergency.
Last edited by likegarden on Thu Mar 20, 2014 5:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
sscritic
Posts: 21853
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2007 8:36 am

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by sscritic »

My favorite is the one that combines the tax questions with the health care questions. At least you only get called once.
IlliniDave
Posts: 2388
Joined: Fri May 17, 2013 7:09 am

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by IlliniDave »

We got a notice at work that there's a very similar email scam going on as well regarding the IRS. Heard an IRS spokesperson on the radio on the way home, said they will almost always contact you first by US mail. Any other form of initial contact on an issue is reason to be wary.
Don't do something. Just stand there!
pshonore
Posts: 8212
Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2009 2:21 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by pshonore »

The latest iteration of this happened in Central Connecticut yesterday. The "victim" refused to pay. Somehow the scammer called the local police and made it sound like a home invasion. They were able to make it appear as though the call had come from the victim's phone number. Using that number, the police made a massive response and quickly figure it out.

http://www.courant.com/community/watert ... 3714.story
User avatar
DRiP Guy
Posts: 2241
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 3:54 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by DRiP Guy »

I guess this is moderately off topic, but related -- just got one of these calls today myself:
Cases of criminals claiming to be calling “from Windows” to offer people computer remote support software are increasing. The calls, usually originating from India or the Philippines, are scams aimed at installing malicious software (malware) to steal personal and financial data or to scare people into buying software they don’t need.

The callers usually introduce themselves as being from Windows IT remote support and claim that they have “identified” that the computer of the person being called is at risk of infection. They encourage the person being called to switch on their PC and usually direct them to the Windows operating system log. Here they play on a lack of advanced knowledge on the behalf of the computer user, suggesting to them that a number of harmless entries on the log are in fact serious issues, encouraging them to either buy software to “fix” it or to allow the bogus IT remote support caller to access their system to fix the fake issue.
http://www.thenewsreports.com/scam-wind ... 068/syedas

Fortunately, as soon as they claimed they were calling 'from Microsoft' because 'my computer is broken' I just instructed them to put me on their 'do not call' list, and I hung up. I should never have answered in the first place, because they send a 'munged' caller ID number: 1(800)180180 --- not even enough digits! Needless to say, that is now in my 'blocked numbers' file. I really hate this kind of scumbaggery.

http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-180-180-1800
http://800notes.com/forum/ta-8804c2602f ... 000-number
http://www.callercenter.com/180-018-0200.html
User avatar
EyeYield
Posts: 658
Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2012 6:43 pm
Location: Extremistan

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by EyeYield »

I've had calls like this.
I take these calls very seriously and do my best to help these people get the money they're looking for.
First I plead with them not to have me arrested and that I will do anything I can to prevent it.
Then I tell them I lost all my credit cards and banking information in a recent fire, but I had some cash I could give them and ask them to meet me.
When they refuse that, I volunteer to turn in some real bad guy tax cheat and offer to help them in a sting, in exchange for leniency.
I really sell the story and overcome each of their rejections with more suggestions.
I then tell them that there might be someone who will let me borrow their credit card and ask them to hold while I try them on my other phone. I excuse myself and tell them that my other phone is upstairs, but I will be right back.
After about 5 minutes, I tell them I was wrong, that my other phone in in the car out in the garage, but I will be right back.
After another 5 minutes I tell them I have to go to my neighbors house and borrow his phone, because my battery is dead.
I apologize for taking so long and ask for the call back info, so they don't have to wait and I'll call them back from my neighbors once I get the credit card number, unless they were willing to wait - they have waited in the past.
I take as much time as reasonable to go to a neighbors house, then say they weren't home, then say OK I see them, they're just pulling into the driveway, I'll be right back.
Then I say, sorry that wasn't them, but let me try the neighbor on the other side.
That's the longest I ever had someone wait on the phone and I think they hung up because I was getting out of character to play the scared debtor.

The point is to waste as much of their time as you can to prevent this happening to other people in the same time space.

I've been doing this type of activity for a long time with these crooks. That's really all the ammo we have in these types of situations, to waste their time, so IF I have the time I try to have fun and be creative with it.
"The stock market is a giant distraction from the business of investing." - Jack Bogle
User avatar
sometimesinvestor
Posts: 1271
Joined: Wed May 13, 2009 6:54 am

Bogleheads hopefully too smart for this scam

Post by sometimesinvestor »

[Thread merged into here --admin LadyGeek]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ ... 9&hpid=z14
Be careful out there
Browser
Posts: 4857
Joined: Wed Sep 05, 2012 4:54 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by Browser »

Notice to Posters: You are all in violation of IRS regulation 100-13x-0020-6. If you do not immediately forward a penalty fine in the amount of $1,000 to the Bank of Scam, Cayman Islands, we will send wild dogs to your residence to bite the heads off your chickens. This is your last warning.!!!
We don't know where we are, or where we're going -- but we're making good time.
The Wizard
Posts: 13356
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 1:45 pm
Location: Reading, MA

Re: Bogleheads hopefully too smart for this scam

Post by The Wizard »

Another thread on this already, but I suspect that most standard Bogleheads here would say [(removed) --admin LadyGeek] to the fake agent who called them on the phone. I certainly would.
But I can see how some immigrants might fall for the scheme, with English not their native language and the US not their native government...
Attempted new signature...
autonomy
Posts: 334
Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2014 1:22 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by autonomy »

pshonore wrote:The latest iteration of this happened in Central Connecticut yesterday. The "victim" refused to pay. Somehow the scammer called the local police and made it sound like a home invasion. They were able to make it appear as though the call had come from the victim's phone number. Using that number, the police made a massive response and quickly figure it out.

http://www.courant.com/community/watert ... 3714.story
That's pretty scary that they will do this, actually, and that there's no visible recourse for this. The scammers are probably calling via some shady VOIP access points.
JDDS
Posts: 1056
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 2:24 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by JDDS »

scouter wrote:One correction- The IRS WILL sometimes initiate contact with a phone call. I got a phone call several weeks ago from a guy saying he was from the IRS, but his number was a landline from a suburb of Atlanta. I didn't pick up and didn't return the call because he wasn't very specific, just said it was in relation to my 401(k). I assumed it might be a scam and that if it was genuine, they would eventually send a letter. Sure enough, 4 days later I got an IRS notice in the mail that they are auditing my Individual 401(k) plan.
Nice of them to make contact by both. I'd be interested in any details you might feel comfortable sharing around why the IRS was interested in the individual 401(k). I'm planning to open one for this year.
User avatar
LadyGeek
Site Admin
Posts: 95691
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 4:34 pm
Location: Philadelphia
Contact:

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by LadyGeek »

FYI - I merged a similar thread into here.
Wiki To some, the glass is half full. To others, the glass is half empty. To an engineer, it's twice the size it needs to be.
lynneny
Posts: 231
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2012 10:23 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by lynneny »

My IRS scammer lost interest when I offered to go to his IRS office with my tax preparer and all my documentation from past tax years.

I got the Microsoft "there's something wrong your computer" call too, and promised to pass his message on to our IT department that looks after all my devices.

But the valuable lesson I learned was that I'm an idiot to still sometimes answer a landline. Between scammers, telemarketers and robocalls from politicians, there's really no reason to.
joelly
Posts: 504
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2008 11:22 am

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by joelly »

I got this call today and I fell for it. :oops:

Spent sometime listening to her (she claimed her name is Susan Hall - IRS Investigative Officer. She has an Indian accent) as I was not allowed to speak and/or interrupt her. Then she said that I can't discuss this with any 3rd party and that was the red flag for me and I hang up immediately. She kept on calling since 10 am and for a while even after I hang up on her.

The phone number has Connecticut area code. I should know better than to answer that call. :?
JohnFiscal
Posts: 1113
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2014 3:28 pm
Location: US citizen now retired in Canada. Subject to income tax in both.

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by JohnFiscal »

joelly wrote:I got this call today and I fell for it. :oops:

Spent sometime listening to her (she claimed her name is Susan Hall - IRS Investigative Officer. She has an Indian accent) as I was not allowed to speak and/or interrupt her. Then she said that I can't discuss this with any 3rd party and that was the red flag for me and I hang up immediately. She kept on calling since 10 am and for a while even after I hang up on her.

The phone number has Connecticut area code. I should know better than to answer that call. :?
That's pretty cool though that you couldn't interrupt her. Allows you to spend your time playing solitaire and keep her on the line as long as possible...minimizing her "return on investment".
User avatar
Kevin M
Posts: 15787
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2009 3:24 pm
Contact:

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by Kevin M »

My daughter got a voicemail from one of these scammers, and texted me asking about it. Before I had replied, she had already determined that it was a scam.

Kevin
If I make a calculation error, #Cruncher probably will let me know.
joelly
Posts: 504
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2008 11:22 am

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by joelly »

Kevin M wrote:My daughter got a voicemail from one of these scammers, and texted me asking about it. Before I had replied, she had already determined that it was a scam.

Kevin
Smart daughter!

The scammer left two voice mails, I googled the number (there was a scam warning online somewhere) but I still answered the call. :oops: Silly me!
Jack FFR1846
Posts: 18500
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2013 6:05 am
Location: 26 miles, 385 yards west of Copley Square

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

It is very easy to spoof a number to show up on caller ID. It's yet another little hacker in training trick that my son showed me when he was 13.

I had one who spoofed my own cell number when calling my cell number.
Bogle: Smart Beta is stupid
likegarden
Posts: 3181
Joined: Mon Feb 26, 2007 4:33 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by likegarden »

I miss the entertainment of those IRS calls. Since we never pick up unknown calls, one "IRS" guy from San Antonio actually left a message with his spiel. Then another call with message came from "IRS" in Washington to check up on it.
joelly
Posts: 504
Joined: Mon Oct 27, 2008 11:22 am

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by joelly »

After I hang up on them, another call came in and the guy left a message saying that he is sending a police officer to throw me in prison for committing a crime of tax evasion. I put the number on my reject list.

I did some research online and came across an article that an elderly man actually paid $10,000 to these scammers. Poor guy! He thought the call was truly from the IRS as he owed taxes in Arizona state and thought it was about that.
wolf359
Posts: 3207
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2015 8:47 am

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by wolf359 »

We got one of these calls. One of the indicators was that the "IRS Agent" was calling from a Google Voice number. (You can do a reverse phone number lookup to determine where they're calling from and who their service provider is. )

Of interest was that they had my name, address, phone number, and last four digits of the social security number. Before they would provide any additional information or discuss details of my case, they had to verify my identity by having me providing the rest of my information ("to check against their records." ) I decided instead to wait for the SWAT team to arrive for my impending arrest. Somehow, they never did.

Also, they cited a judgement from a Federal Court in the wrong jurisdiction, but it sounded impressive until I googled it.
User avatar
FreeAtLast
Posts: 802
Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2014 8:08 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by FreeAtLast »

About 7 years ago, my mother (who is in a nursing home), got one of these scammer IRS calls.....it made her very upset but due to previous warnings from me about any "unusual" phone calls.....she hung up on him and then called me immediately (good job, Mom!).....as I held her P.O.A., I drove down to the local IRS as soon as I could and found out that the call did not come from them......the only problem after that was getting her to calm down, because she was still worried the Feds were planning to throw her in prison for tax fraud......if I could have magically gotten my hands on that caller, various physical unpleasantries would have ensued to his long-term detriment.
Illegitimi non carborundum.
Topic Author
cheapskate
Posts: 926
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2007 1:05 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by cheapskate »

joelly wrote: I did some research online and came across an article that an elderly man actually paid $10,000 to these scammers. Poor guy! He thought the call was truly from the IRS as he owed taxes in Arizona state and thought it was about that.
My co-worker's wife is a recent immigrant. She got one of these calls and wired $3000 to the scammers :(

She tried reaching my co-worker in a panic after fielding the call, but was not able to reach him and in her sheer panic sent the money. Needless to say the money is gone. Attempts to track it down have been unsuccessful.

Bogleheads in general are too smart to fall for this, but it is a good thing to warn people around you. Make them aware that the IRS will never reach people by phone, will never demand money or threaten jail over the phone. They will always send taxpayers written communication over US mail first.
User avatar
AAA
Posts: 1885
Joined: Sat Jan 12, 2008 7:56 am

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by AAA »

I got a phone call this week with a recorded message with what sounded like a computer-generated voice telling me they were from the IRS and blah blah blah. I hung up in the middle.

I also got a call a few weeks ago with the grandchild scam. He started out saying "hi grandpa" and I knew it was one of those calls where they pretend to be your grandchild and in need of money.

Can't something be done about these calls?
dolphinsaremammals
Posts: 2094
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2014 4:18 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by dolphinsaremammals »

lynneny wrote: But the valuable lesson I learned was that I'm an idiot to still sometimes answer a landline. Between scammers, telemarketers and robocalls from politicians, there's really no reason to.
I get calls like this on my cell phone.
JW-Retired
Posts: 7189
Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2007 11:25 am

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by JW-Retired »

dolphinsaremammals wrote:
lynneny wrote: But the valuable lesson I learned was that I'm an idiot to still sometimes answer a landline. Between scammers, telemarketers and robocalls from politicians, there's really no reason to.
I get calls like this on my cell phone.
Same here. Never answer any cell or landline phone unless I can caller ID or otherwise recognize the caller's number. I'm still looking for a good call blocker for my AT&T landline.

It's a shame. Phones were a useful tool in the old days.
JW
Retired at Last
User avatar
Dtort
Posts: 45
Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 7:17 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by Dtort »

I use 800-call-notes or similar websites to check unknown numbers. If a number is associated with a scam, I just add it to the "scammer" contact list and set the ring tone to "crickets" so I don't even hear the ringing unless I'm in a very quiet room. It's surprising how rarely they update the numbers they are spoofing, so the little bit of research pays off when they call back again.
And we can't really do anything to these international scammers except mock them and waste their time. A coworker was once targeted by a similar scam. They'd call the office at 2 AM threatening to throw her in jail over a debt. Her coworkers (with little else to do at 2 AM )would abuse the scammers so much that they'd quit for several months at a time.
NOLA
Posts: 373
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2011 1:23 pm

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by NOLA »

Thanks for the heads up. Not that I would actual wire money, but I did learn a thing or two today. And from the previous posters, it seems like they are calling to both landlines and cellphones nowadays.
S&L1940
Posts: 1658
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2007 11:19 pm
Location: South Florida

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by S&L1940 »

when I get caught up with such calls I usually tell them 'my parents are not home now' (sadly true) but I will be sure to give them the message...
Don't it always seem to go * That you don't know what you've got * Till it's gone
User avatar
Clever_Username
Posts: 1915
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2012 12:24 am
Location: Southern California

Re: Alert. Scam with callers posing as IRS agents...

Post by Clever_Username »

Dtort wrote:I use 800-call-notes or similar websites to check unknown numbers. If a number is associated with a scam, I just add it to the "scammer" contact list and set the ring tone to "crickets" so I don't even hear the ringing unless I'm in a very quiet room. It's surprising how rarely they update the numbers they are spoofing, so the little bit of research pays off when they call back again.
I do similar for callers from my graduate school alma mater that aren't honoring my requests to stop calling asking for money (my feelings towards the school where I went for graduate studies aren't particularly good). If my phone had an option to fully silence calls from a number, I'd do that instead.
"What was true then is true now. Have a plan. Stick to it." -- XXXX, _Layer Cake_ | | I survived my first downturn and all I got was this signature line.
Post Reply