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Thousands have been receiving calls from these scammers for well over a year-and-a-half, purporting to be IRS agents. These are criminal extortionists operating in overseas boiler rooms using VOIP to alter their identities and locations and out of the reach of US law enforcement.
If someone calls saying he's an IRS agent and demands that you send money immediately, hang up.
It's a phone scam.In fact, it tops the IRS "Dirty Dozen" list of tax scams this year, and it's been surging in recent months, the agency said Thursday.
The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), which oversees the IRS, has received reports of 290,000 scam calls since October 2013 and said nearly 3,000 victims have been swindled out of $14 million so far.
By altering their caller ID number to make it look like they're calling from an IRS office, these scammers often threaten vulnerable people like the elderly and new immigrants with things like arrest, deportation or the loss of their driver's license if they don't pay immediately for money purportedly owed.
Often leaving messages that say it's "urgent" you call them back, the scammers use common names and sometimes say they are from the IRS Criminal Division. They may even claim to know the last four digits of your Social Security number and send follow-up emails that appear to be from the IRS, TIGTA said.
They often demand that payments be made by prepaid debit card.
Once they make their threats, the scammers have been known to call back and again disguise their caller ID so it appears they are calling from the police department or the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Or sometimes when they call, they may say you have a refund due and ask you to provide personal information so you can claim it.
The real IRS will usually contact you by regular mail first, if it needs to contact you at all. And the agency never demands immediate payment by phone or asks for credit card or debit numbers if they do call. It also never asks for personal or financial information by email, text or social media.
If you get what you suspect is a scam call, report it to TIGTA through its Web site or call 800-366-4484.
I just got a call from this number at my work - a library reference desk. They left a recorded message saying "This is Officer Adam Weaver. This is related to a tax investigation. Please call my office at 202-350-2633 and ask to speak with me right away. If you don't call, all I can say is Good Luck." This is clearly a scam call. I'm reporting it per these guidelines: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Warns-of-Pervasive-Telephone-Scam
If you're researching because you got a similar message, DON'T CALL THEM BACK. They are fake.
Thank You Very Much!!!
I got the same call. I got scared, but i did not call them back until my son was in home but he arrive very late and i decided to reach info from google.
THANK YOU for posting this info, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR POST.
Just got that call. I reported it to the REAL IRS. Also when I had Someone who is a police officer call back they freaked out. They denied everything. When I was on call they said if I recorded call or had a third party listen I would be charged through the NSA.