Middle Eastern accent, Identified himself as an OFFICER and that I needed to call him back immediately or I would be sorry about the repercussion if either me or my attorney didn't call him about this extremely urgent legal matter. I DO NOT like being threatened and saved this message. I called back but it was always busy. Received this call at 3:22 California time 1/28/2015.
I received a prerecorded call from this number stating it was the irs. Could barely understand them due to the thick foreign accent they had. They wished me luck if I didn't return their call. Lol
This is (one of many) criminal extortion scams that have exploded over the past decade correlating with advances in technology, which makes it easy for criminals to scare people into thinking something terrible will happen to them if they don't cave in to their demands. The IRS has been well aware of this scam for well over a year, but because the calls are originating in overseas boiler rooms with the criminals using computers to alter their identities and locations, they are next to impossible to trace. Making matters worse is the fact they are operating out of reach of US law enforcement and in apathetic and corrupt countries who could basically care less what these people do to us. The next time they call, let them know you are aware they are running an extortion scam, have no intention of paying them anything and have alerted 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.