General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI received an IRS scam call.
I owe them money and a warrant has been put out for my arrest. You know the deal.
I have had some fun with it and am now looking for other ideas. I do have their number as it was a recorded message. I took up so much of this guys time yesterday that he stopped answering the phone "Department of the Treasury, Officer so and so speaking." Seems to be a one or two person operation with very limited lines.
Any fun ideas?
Where do I report them?
TIA
818-714-7517
bearsfootball516
(6,377 posts)I'm going to tell them that they reached the office of the FBI, this call will be monitored and phone number recorded in our database. How can I help you?
Cary
(11,746 posts)They usually end up cussing me.out in their deep accent and hanging up on me.
melm00se
(4,991 posts)claims to have said:
"hmmm....odd, I work for the IRS CID"
and they hung up lightening fast
WhiskeyGrinder
(22,329 posts)Weekend Warrior
(1,301 posts)csziggy
(34,136 posts)Depending on the scam, there are different places to report them:
Contact the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration to report a phone scam. Use their IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting web page. You can also call 800-366-4484.
Report phone scams to the Federal Trade Commission. Use the FTC Complaint Assistant on FTC.gov. Please add "IRS Telephone Scam" in the notes.
Report an unsolicited email claiming to be from the IRS, or an IRS-related component like the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.
https://www.irs.gov/uac/newsroom/how-to-know-it-s-really-the-irs-calling-or-knocking-on-your-door
Weekend Warrior
(1,301 posts)TheBlackAdder
(28,189 posts)Perhaps Weekend Warrior could make a post entry: http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-818-714-7517
csziggy
(34,136 posts)I posted there for the first time yesterday. I got a call from Home Security - but the voice sounded as if it were one of the guys from Microsoft Security. He kept calling me Mr.Z - I told him there is no Mr. Z here, which is true. I am a woman with a low voice.
When he tried to explain what he was scamming, I really couldn't understand him and every time I asked him to repeat it, he started his script over. Fourth time he said "Home Security" I said in my best Southern accent "I don't need no security. I have a big ass gun and I will shoot anyone who comes in my fucking house!"
The guy hung up. Too bad, I wanted to play with him a little more. His area code was for Seattle.
BigmanPigman
(51,590 posts)announcement regarding the scam. They called me three times in 6 months. I always screen my calls and they are very, very threatening. They really aim for the older citizens the most. My parents told my the government would always notify anyone by mail. Period. They had people report it on line and you wouldn't believe the stories.
pnwmom
(108,977 posts)She called me right afterwards and I had to calm her down.
I hate those people.
BigmanPigman
(51,590 posts)so it wasn't easy). Some people went out and got cashiers checks in specific amounts to send to them and they even waited on the phone and walked you through it...unbelievable!
nykym
(3,063 posts)That was too funny!
ChoppinBroccoli
(3,784 posts)1. The IRS does not have its own police force. They cannot put out warrants for your arrest. And even if they could, you cannot be locked up for owing a debt. There's no such thing as debtor's prison in this country (for now, anyway).
2. The IRS will never contact you by phone. Always by mail.
3. The IRS doesn't sue people. They don't need to, because they don't first have to have a judgment before they can start collecting their debts. They are simply allowed to put liens on your property by statute.
These callers prey on the uninformed and fearful. Since I have a lot of knowledge about the legal system and way the government collects its debts (my wife actually works for a State Attorney General's office in the Asset Recovery section--they collect unpaid debts to the State government), I laugh when I get these calls (and I get them a lot). I try to keep them on the line as long as possible (it prevents them from calling other people who might actually believe their BS), and have as much fun with them as possible (I give them credit card numbers that contain letters and symbols, I leave for long periods of time to "find" other credit cards that might work, etc.), and then I laugh like a crazy person when they start cursing me out in broken English.
One thing I've noticed is that they've started using famous people's names. I don't get that. I personally have received calls from Dennis Quaid and Steve Martin, who apparently have started collecting debts for the IRS, and my wife received a call from Richard Wagner (which he pronounced "Wog-ner," not the correct way, "Vog-ner," or even the way it appears, "Wag-ner," which I found incredibly strange).
Amishman
(5,557 posts)Weekend Warrior
(1,301 posts)Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(107,956 posts)And the number isn't legit.
StarryNite
(9,444 posts)a couple of years ago. She started cussing them out and they wound up hanging up on her. She never heard back from them.
Initech
(100,068 posts)I still have the voice mail saved though because people who haven't heard this about the IRS scam don't believe me.
Beringia
(4,316 posts)I cannot believe I was that gullible.