Received this call along with several others today , most hang up when answer machine picks up. This one and anther with a different number had the same garbled voice mail about calling back.
Left a message to call rhe dept back, which I did. Some lady answered as the IRS not very good English. It sounded like a call center lots of people talking.
They really had me going for a while. They said they tried to contact me before and I didn't respond so they took it as I was ignoring them. They used words like Tax Fraud, Arrest Warrant, Frozen Bank Accounts. They had Indian accents, but their English was good and their descriptions were somewhat detailed and believable. And it seems like most people you talk to on the phone now have accents, so I didn't think much of it. They said everything had advanced to the point that I needed to resolve it today or tomorrow my accounts would all be frozen.
I thought, don't mess with the IRS. Pay them the $4,800 to stop any actions and then if they are wrong, go through the process to get it back.
Then it started getting strange. They told me to stay on the phone, put my phone on speaker, drive to the bank, withdraw $4,800 in cash and then deposit it into an account with the Attorney General. Then I would need to email them a copy of the receipt and they could clear the warrant today. I told them I needed to get dressed. Then I went online and found this website as well as serval others. I got back on the phone, told them they were fake and this is a scam and hung up.
Official IRS Government site detailing this scam and providing links to report it:
http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Warns-of-Pervasive-Telephone-Scam
Total scam. Originates in either India or Pakistan. Block and ignore. DO NOT RETURN THE CALL!
See: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/IRS-Reiterate ... -Telephone-Scam
Report them:
https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml
I’m an Enrolled Agent with the IRS (Inactive). IRS does not initiate contacts by phone. US mail only. IRS does not file lawsuits. Court action, if any is handled by the DOJ and all parties are entitled to legal assistance if it is a criminal matter. But--tax disputes are for the most part civil matters. 90% of all IRS tax disputes are settled administratively. IRS has absolutely no authority to call on local law enforcement for anything. Local law is never involved in IRS tax disputes. IRS does not threaten to involve local law enforcement or to arrest you for nonpayment of federal taxes. IRS has no powers of arrest. If LE is necessary, US Marshals do the job. IRS does not cold call anyone and demand immediate payment of money. IRS does not ask for financial information over the phone. IRS does not accept Green card money paks for payment in any case. No one is prosecuted for ordinary tax disputes. IRS has absolutely no authority over anyone's professional license. Professional licensing is handled by state governments. Yes, levies on property to satisfy an existing tax obligation do occur, but only after a very long period of negotiation. And yes, liens are placed on individuals but usually after a lot of negotiation and a failure to reach a settlement. All determinations of tax liability are subject to appeals. All contacts by the IRS are initiated by US mail.
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