U.S. Breaks Up Fake I.R.S. Phone Scam Operation.
(Hope it really works! They'd been silent for a while, here anyway, and returned recently.)
'With stiff sentences for 21 conspirators last week in the United States and a round of indictments in India, the Justice Department says it has broken up what appeared to be the nations first large-scale, multinational telephone fraud operation.
Over four years, more than 15,000 victims in the United States lost hundreds of millions of dollars to the sophisticated scam, and more than 50,000 individuals had their personal information misused, the department said Friday. The money was routed through call centers in India back to the ringleaders in eight states.
The fraudulent calls came suddenly and frequently while the scam was active from 2012 to 2016, according to court documents. A person posing as an Internal Revenue Service or immigration official was on the phone, threatening arrest, deportation or other penalties if the victims did not immediately pay their debts with prepaid cards or wire transfers.
The calls targeted the most vulnerable Americans, including immigrants and older people.
An 85-year old woman in San Diego paid $12,300 to people claiming to be I.R.S. employees who threatened her with arrest for tax violations.'>>>
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/23/business/irs-phone-scams-jeff-sessions.html?
PSPS
(13,593 posts)Um, they're still quite active. I get several calls of this nature every week. Another one came in yesterday.
elleng
(130,884 posts)GP6971
(31,141 posts)last week. I called back and as soon as they identified themselves as the IRS I said this is Santa Claus returning your call and hung up.
kimbutgar
(21,137 posts)There is a lien on me and I needed to call this 800 number immediately or I would be arrested.
NCjack
(10,279 posts)MiniMe
(21,714 posts)And even though I know very well that the IRS doesn't call, it still makes your stomach sink. That is one reason it is so effective, everybody has a visceral feeling about the IRS.
alwaysinasnit
(5,066 posts)someone claiming to be from Immigration and Customs Enforcement?
SergeStorms
(19,199 posts)written correspondence from the I.R.S. before you receive a single phone call. The I.R.S. is still big on paperwork for some reason. Don't ask me how I know this.