I got a call from here saying my name was picked by the government grants program. For 7000. But I got to go to monet gram and wire 247 and they'll turn around and send me 7247. Is this a fraud?
Got a call from this number. The man introduced himself as Mark Brown and he is calling from IRS. I have to be home, because police will come and arrest me for some Income Taxes fraud.
Got this call today. The guy has very strong accent that I could barely understood and claimed his name was Ahmed. The message on this number also claimed to be Mark Brown, IRS Investigator. Thanks for all your information. I am glad I googled before I panic and call my CPA.
I got a call from here saying my name was picked by the government grants program. For 7000. But I got to go to monet gram and wire 247 and they'll turn around and send me 7247. Is this a fraud?
A guy called with an accent claiming to be with IRS and threatened deportation from the country unless my wife, who has roots going back to before Civil War returns his call immediately. And that LAW ENFORCEMENT FEDERAL, that's exactly how he said it, will come to arrest her.
This is some coward hiding behind a magicJack device plugged in at some God-forsaken corner of the world where there is Internet service. He's no better than a common criminal using a magicJack device and your fear the same way a common thief uses a toy pistol hidden in the pocket of his overcoat to make a bulge that looks like a real gun.
You can verify that this is a magicJack number by searching for it at http://www.phonevalidator.com .
This scam has been extensively researched at
http://www.pindropsecurity.com/consumer-fraud ... irs-phone-scam/ and it was found that magicJack numbers are frequently used, and many of the scammers are operating out of India. There is even an audio recording of a call returned to one of these numbers and a written transcript of the recording contained in links from the Pindrop Security blog.
MagicJacks are readily obtainable outside of the United States for about $100 US and can come with up to a year of free calling to the U.S. and Canada. In India, see, for example,
http://magicjack.in .
In addition to the regular reporting channels, e.g., the Department of the Treasury, the FTC, and/or your local state attorney general's office, you might also report the abuse to YMAX Corp. I have seen reports that they are pretty good at responding to complaints and may be able to permanently shut off a magicJack device, if necessary, so that it can never be used again.
The YMAX Corp. main web page is at:
http://www.ymaxcorp.com
and their site giving information on how to lodge a complaint is at:
http://www.ymaxcorp.com/contact.html
Note that the "contact" website gives a clickable link to a "live chat" where you can make your complaint.