The IRS doesn't sue people - they audit people, and when they do, they will always notify you via U.S. Mail. They don't make telephone or e-mail contact.
It's good to hear that the U.S. government is finally getting involved in busting the scammers. It seems like they've ramped up their game since the economy went south. Financial anxiety leads to more susceptible people who are likely to fall for this stuff. Stay informed! Knowledge is the best defense.
This is a Pakistan or India based IRS scam. Do not fall for it. The IRS does not initiate any legal action via phone.
Read http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/press/press_tigta-2014-03.htm
As general background information, here are a few things you can do:
1) Report it to TIGTA under http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml especially if you have become a victim (lost money, gave personal information etc.). You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at ftc.gov/complaint (include “IRS Telephone Scam" in your complaint). This way you can also help the government establish specific fraud patterns.
2) Help kill their phone lines but not by calling them back directly (the number may be spoofed and repeat calls by you may - under exceptional circumstances- amount to harassment). The scammers use Voice over IP lines (e.g. magicJack (Ymax corporation)) to make it seem as if they are calling from the US. This is always against these companys' terms of service and can lead to immediate termination of their contract and blocking of their IP addresses for future attempts to register. Do a reverse look up of their telephone number (e.g. www.whitepages.com) to identify the Voice over IP provider and report it to the company and/or law enforcement (local police and/or state attorney general)
3) If you are really annoyed: call or write to your representative in Congress. As these scams happen all over the country maybe this will trigger a reaction and provide US law enforcement agencies with the political backing and the resources they need to work in India and Pakistan together with local authorities (it can happen, read: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/ex-call-cen ... mmission-320427). A US task force has already been set up in Jamaica to nab scammers there (see http://www.ice.gov/doclib/news/library/reports/cornerstone/cornerstone7-1.pdf). You can use the following template for your letter (more powerful!) or email:
The IRS doesn't sue people - they audit people, and when they do, they will always notify you via U.S. Mail. They don't make telephone or e-mail contact.
It's good to hear that the U.S. government is finally getting involved in busting the scammers. It seems like they've ramped up their game since the economy went south. Financial anxiety leads to more susceptible people who are likely to fall for this stuff. Stay informed! Knowledge is the best defense.
Indian woman claiming I had a warrant issued for me and was being sued by the IRS. Could hear other people typing and speaking in the background. Not calling back - can't imagine the IRS calls people about matters like that. Obvious scam
Yup, just got one today. I was told that an warrant has been issued for my arrest. The woman on the other line had a thick Indian accent and I could barely understand what she was saying. I didn't give her my info and she said she'll have me arrested. I told her to bring it.